Abdul
Abdul | |
---|---|
Pronunciation | [ʕæbdel, ʕabdɪl, ʕæbdʊl] |
Gender | Male |
Language(s) | Arabic language |
Origin | |
Meaning | servant of the |
Other names | |
See also | Abdu, Abdi |
Abdul (also transliterated as Abdal, Abdel, Abdil, Abdol, Abdool, or Abdoul, Arabic: عبد ال, ʿAbd al-) is the most frequent transliteration of the combination of the Arabic word Abd (عبد, meaning "servant") and the definite prefix al / el (ال, meaning "the").
It is the initial component of many compound names, names made of two words. For example, عبد الحميد, ʿAbd el-Ḥamīd, usually spelled Abdel Hamid, Abdelhamid, Abd El Hamid or Abdul Hamid, which means "servant of The Praised" (God).
The most common use for Abdul by far, is as part of a male given name, written in English. When written in English, Abdul is subject to variable spacing, spelling, and hyphenation.
The meaning of Abdul literally and normally means "Slave of the", but English translations also often translate it to: "Servant[1][2] of the".
Spelling variations
The spelling variation is primarily because of the variation in pronunciation. Arabic speakers normally pronounce and transcribe their names of Arabic origin according to their spoken Arabic dialects. Therefore, it is pronounced /ʕabdel/ and written Abdel... or Abd El.... However, non-Arabic speakers or Arabic speakers may choose to transcribe the name according to the Literary Arabic pronunciation, which is the language of Quran, pronounced as /ʕabdul/ and written Abdul.... For other variations in spelling, see the Arabic grammar section.
Etymology
In Arabic language, the word عبد ʿabd means "slave" or "servant", from the triliteral root ع-ب-د ʕ-B-D, which is also related to the word عبادة ʿibādah, "worshiping". Therefore, the word has the positive connotation, in an Islamic sense, of worshiping and praising God, i.e. being a slave to God rather than idols.
Theophoric naming
Essentially there is no Abdul, without the second part when written in Arabic, thus it appears as a component of many Arabic and specifically Muslim names, where it is the opening of a religiously based name, meaning: "Servant of..." with the last component of the name being one of the names of God in Islam, which would form a Muslim Arabic theophoric name. Such as Abdullah simply meaning "Servant of God" while "Abdul Aziz" means "Servant of the Almighty" and so on. The name Abdul Masih, ("Servant of the Messiah") is an Arabic Christian equivalent.
In addition, Abdul is occasionally, though much more rarely, used in reference to a figure other than God. For example, the Indian name Abdul Mughal, ("Servant of the Mughal Empire").
Derived theophoric names
- The most common names are listed below
- Abdullah, Servant of Allah
- Abdulaziz, Servant of the Almighty
- Abdulkarim, Servant of the most Generous
- Abdurrahim, Servant of the Merciful
- Abdurrahman, Servant of the Benevolent
- Abdussalam, Servant of the Peaceful
- Abdulqadir, Servant of the Powerful
Arabic grammar
When followed by a sun letter, the l in al (normally pronounced colloquially el ) assimilates to the initial consonant of the following noun, resulting in a doubled consonant. For example, "Abdul Rahman", would be pronounced in Literary Arabic: [ʕæbdʊr ræħˈmæːn]. When the definite article is followed by a moon letter, no assimilation takes place.
Therefore, Abdul is not always used as the opening part of the name; if the second part starts with a sun letter, it may become forms including Abdun, Abdur, Abdus, or Abdush, the vowel in each name, similarly with Abdul, is also open to differing transliterations.
Independent naming
Abdul does not appear on its own as a male given name when written in Arabic. In some cultures, the theophoric part may appear to be a stand-alone middle name, or surname, thus confusing people as to whether Abdul is an accepted given name. Often if someone shortens his/her name, he may equally choose the theophoric part or Abdul. However, Abdul by itself is sometimes used as an independent full given first name outside of Arabic-speaking societies. Sometimes Abdul is followed by a word describing Muhammad the Prophet, for example "Abd un Nabi", which means "slave/servant of the prophet".
Given name
- Abdoul Diakite (born 1986), French-Malian footballer
- Abdul Diallo (born 1985), Burkina Faso footballer
- Abdul "Duke" Fakir (born 1935), American musician
- Abdul Hodge (born 1983), American football linebacker
- Abdul Salis (born 1979), British actor
- Abdul Thompson Conteh (born 1970), Sierra Leonean footballer
- Abdul Vas (born 1981), Venezuelan artist
Surname
- Ban Abdul (born 1981), Iraqi actress
- David Abdul (born 1989), Aruban footballer
- Lida Abdul (born 1973), Persian artist
- Paula Abdul (born 1962), American singer and television personality
Fictional characters
- Abdul Alhazred, character created by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft
- Abdul ibn Shareef, fictional politician on The West Wing
- Mohammed Abdul, fictional character in the manga and anime Jojo's Bizarre Adventure created by Hirohiko Araki
See also
- Abdu, a nickname for the compound name or a given name. In this case it's not necessarily a name given to a Muslim
- Abdi, similar to Abdu
- Abdullah (disambiguation), often confused with having the same meaning as Abdul
- Arabic name
- Turkish name
References
- ↑ Salahuddin Ahmed (1999). A Dictionary of Muslim Names. London: Hurst & Company.
- ↑ S. A. Rahman (2001). A Dictionary of Muslim Names. New Delhi: Goodword Books.