Abdul
| Abdul | |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | [ˈʕɑbdul] (varies between spelling) |
| Gender | Male |
| Language(s) | Arabic language |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | Servant of the |
| Other names | |
| See also | Abdi |
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Look up Abdul in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Abdul (also transliterated as Abdal, Abdel, Abdil, Abdol, Abdool, or Abdoul, Arabic: عبد ال, ʿAbd al-) is the primary transliteration of the Arabic compound words: Abd (عبد: meaning servant) and al (ال: meaning the). The letter a in al- is unstressed in its native pronunciation, and can be transliterated by any vowel, most often by u.
Abdul's most common use by far, is as part of a male given name, written in English. Understandably, when written in English, Abdul is subject to variable spacing, spelling, and hyphenation.
The meaning of Abdul translates to: Servant of the. [1][2]
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[edit] Etymology
[edit] 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 God. And the last component of the name, is one of the names of God in Islam, which would form a Muslim Arabic theophoric name.
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 Empire).
[edit] Derived theophoric names
- The most common names are listed below
- Abdullah, Servant of Allah
- Abdulaziz, Servant of the Almighty Allah
- Abdulkarim, Servant of the most Generous Allah
- Abdurrahim, Servant of the Merciful Allah
- Abdurrahman, Servant of the Benevolent Allah
- Abdussalam, Servant of the Peaceful Allah
- Abdulqadir, Servant of the Powerful Allah
[edit] Arabic grammar
When followed by a sun letter, the l in al assimilates to the initial consonant of the following noun, resulting in a doubled consonant. For example, "Abdul Rahman", would be pronounced: [ˈʕɑbdur ˈrɑħmɑn]. When the definite article is followed by a moon letter, no assimilation takes place.
Therefore Abdul is not always be 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.
[edit] Independent naming
Abdul does not appear on its own as a male given name when written in Arabic. In different cultures, the theophoric part may appear as a stand alone middle name, or surname, thus confusing people as to whether Abdul is their accepted given name. Often if someone shortens their name, they may equally choose the theophoric part or Abdul.
The use of Abdul as an independent name outside of Arabic countries may have some use in the United States, perhaps among African Americans in the same way Ahmad has.
[edit] Given name
- Abdul Thompson Conteh (born 1970), Sierra Leonean footballer
- 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 Jerri (born 1932), Iraqi American physicist
- Abdul Kardar (1925–1996), Pakistani cricketer
- Abdul Madzhid (died 2008), Russian militant leader
- Abdul Mohamed, Afghan-English mixed martial artist
- Abdul Muis (1883–1959), Indonesian writer, journalist and nationalist
- Abdoul Nikiema (born 1993), Burkinabé footballer
- Abdul Osman (born 1987), English footballer
- Abdul Bin Mohammed Bin Abess Ourgy (born 1965), Tunisia Guantanamo detainee
- Abdul Salis (born 1979), British actor
- Abdoul Thiam (born 1976), German footballer
- Abdul Vas (born 1981), Venezuelan artist
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This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article. |
[edit] 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
- Suhail al-Abdool, Emirati TV and music video director
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This page or section lists people with the surname Abdul. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link. |
[edit] Fictional characters
- Abdul Alhazred, character created by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft
- Abdul ibn Shareef, fictional politician on The West Wing
[edit] See also
- Abdullah (disambiguation), often confused with having the same meaning as Abdul
- Arabic name
- Turkish name
