I do not know about four operations done to the Prophet by angels. There is a very well-known report that at the age of five, the Prophet was met by two men in white robes who placed him on the ground and caused an incision in his chest. They removed his heart and washed it in iced water which they had in a gold pot. They removed a small black piece and said that it was Satan's element. There is another report which suggests that the same thing was done to the Prophet when he was 50. However, this latter report is much less known than the earlier one. I have not heard that there were any more occasions in the life of the Prophet when he was operated on.

We cannot say for certain that this report is absolutely authentic although it is invariably reported in the books which relate the events of the Prophet's life.

The Hadith to which you have referred mentions five names of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Although the Hadith states that these are 'names', the context suggests that these are qualities or attributes, rather than proper nouns. It is well known that Arabic names are chosen for their meaning. Hence the usage of the word 'names' in this context is not surprising. Indeed the same word is often used in reference to God's attributes.

The Hadith you mentioned may be translated as follows: "I have five names: I am Muhammad, and I am Ahmad, and I am Al-Mahi with whom God erases disbelief, and I am Al-Hashir following whom human beings are raised from their graves and I am Al-Aaqib." (Related by Al-Bukhari, At-Tirmithi, Malik and Ahmad.) Let us now consider these names and what they mean, as explained by commentators on Hadith.

'Muhammad' is derived from the root hamd, which means 'praise'. This is the Prophet's name God uses in the Qur'an. The form itself indicates plenty. So the name mentions an important quality of the Prophet, peace be upon him, which is his frequent praise of God and his glorification of his Lord. He used to praise God after he had had something to eat or drink, after his supplication and on arrival after a journey. 'Ahmad' is derived from the same root, but indicates preference. Hence it means that he praised God much more than anyone else. It is said that all prophets used to praise God very frequently, but Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the best among them in that quality.

'Al-Mahi' means the one who 'erases something clean.' The Hadith itself indicates to what this quality of the Prophet applies, as he says: "I am Al-Mahi with whom God erases disbelief." It is said that what is meant here is that he causes disbelief to disappear totally from the Arabian Peninsula. Other scholars suggest that the erasing of disbelief is a gradual process which is completed when Jesus Christ comes for the second time. The fact that some people will go back to disbelief after that does not detract from the fact that he will have caused its total eradication.

I feel that we should take this meaning in a wider perspective. The fact is that with the message of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, disbelief no longer has any solid foundation. Whenever challenged, disbelief cannot provide any argument to justify its standpoint. Whatever logic it uses to defend itself will be seen to lack coherence and substance. It will always be recognized as false. For this reason we see how the enemies of Islam always use brutal force to suppress its message. In some Muslim countries dictatorial regimes have been suppressing the advocates of Islamic revival for many years and gaining the approval of Western 'democracies' for their brutal tactics that include torture and killing of innocent people. That testifies to the fact that disbelief cannot even convince its own advocates with its argument. Hence it is always bound to be defeated and erased from people's minds and hearts.

'Al-Hashir' means 'the gatherer,' but in an Islamic context it refers to the gathering of all creatures on the day of judgment when they are raised from their graves. We have reports which confirm that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, will be the first to rise from the grave on that day. In other Hadith the Prophet, peace be upon him, is quoted to have said: "I am the first to come up when the earth is split (i.e. on the day of resurrection.)" Scholars also refer to the fact that he is the final messenger to be sent to mankind as relevant here. Since no other messenger will be sent, then it follows that the resurrection should come after him.

'Al-Aaqib' means the final. This is a reference to the fact that the line of Prophethood has been completed with the message of Prophet Muhammad. In some versions of this Hadith an insert is added so that it reads: "I am Al-Aaqib after whom there will be no prophet, and who is described by God, as 'kind, compassionate."

These names were not used as names of anyone before Prophet Muhammad, except for the fact that the name 'Muhammad' was used by four people who learned that a prophet would be sent to mankind having that name. Each one of them had a son born to him shortly afterward. Each one called his son, Muhammad, hoping that he would be the new prophet.

The Prophet has encouraged his followers to call their children after him. Hence the names Muhammad and Ahmad are very common in the Muslim world. The other three names are of a special type which makes them unsuitable to use as names. Who would wish to call his son with a name which means the 'eraser' or 'gatherer' or 'the final'? Even when used for the Prophet, peace be upon him, they needed explanation. Hence you do not find them used by Muslim people. I realize that my reader thinks he has the second of these names, but his name is 'Hasser' which means 'a person who is not wearing a head cover.'