In Arabic names, a ( , "attribution"), also rendered as or , is an adjective surname indicating the person's place of origin, ancestral tribe, or ancestry, used at the end of the surname. Examples of this suffix included at the end of a surname include: -at (eg: Obeidat), -i (eg: Al Masri), -awi (eg: Badawi), -iyy for masculine and -iyyah for feminine.
, originally an Arabic word, has been passed to many other languages such as Turkish, Persian, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, and Malay.
In Persian and Turkish, it is always pronounced and written as . In Arabic usage, that pronunciation occurs when the word is uttered in its construct state only.
Original use
A "relation" is a grammatical term referring to the suffixation of masculine -iyy, feminine -iyyah to a word to make it an adjective. As an example, the word ‘Arabiyy () means "Arab, related to Arabic, Arabian". forms are very common in Arabic names.
Use in onomastics Traditional Arabic names are patronymics (), where the full name of the person is followed by the name of his father, usually linked by or ('son'). Patronymics may be long as they may include all known forefathers. When a name is simplified to one or two ancestors, it may become confusing to distinguish from other similar names; in such cases, the may be added as an additional specifier.
A is usually prefixed by the definite article 'al-''' and can take a number of forms:
Places
Al-Afghani, related to or from Afghanistan Al-Albani, related to or from Albania e.g. Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani. Al-Almani, related to or from Germany Al-Amriki, related to or from America Al-Andalusi, related to or from the region of Al-Andalus (modern day Iberia) e.g. Said al-Andalusi, Abū ʿAbdallāh Yaʿīsh ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Yūsuf ibn Simāk al-Andalusī al-Umawī Al-Armani, related to or from Greater Armenia or Armenians al-Astarabadi, from Astarabad (modern Gorgan), Persia al-Baghdadi, related to or from the city of Baghdad, e.g. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Junayd al-Baghdadi. al-Bakkani, from the Royal Town of Pekan in the state of Pahang in Malaysia, Mohammad Faeez Harith al-Bakkani al-Bangali, from the region of Bengal or a Bengali descent (mainly from Bangladesh) al-Bantani, from the province of Banten in Indonesia e.g. Syeikh Abdur Rauf al-Bantani al-Basri, from Basra, e.g. Ibn Sa'd al-Batawi, from Batavia (present-day Jakarta, Indonesia) al-Britani, related to or from the United Kingdom al-Bughuri, from Bogor, Indonesia al-Bukhari, from Bukhara, Uzbekistan al-Busnawi, related to or from Bosnia, e.g. Matrakçı Nasuh al-Busnawi. al-Buthuni, from the island of Buton in Indonesia, e.g. Haji Abdul Ghaniu al-Buthuni al-Daylami, from Daylam, northern Iran al-Dahlawi, from Delhi, India al-Dimashqi, related to or from the city of Damascus, e.g. Al-Dimashqi (geographer), Abu al-Fadl Ja'far ibn 'Ali al-Dimashqi al-Falimbani, from a capital city in the province of South Sumatera in Indonesia, e.g. Abdul Samad Al-Falimbani al-Fansuri, from the town of Pancur in the Central Tapanuli Regency in North Sumatera Indonesia e.g. Hamzah al-Fansuri al-Farsi, related to or from the region of Pars (Fars) or the country of Persia; e.g. Salman al-Farsi, Saud Al-Farsi al-Fatani, from the province of Pattani in Thailand e.g. Syeikh Daud al-Fatani al-Filisṭīnī, related to or from the region of Palestine, e.g. Abu Qatada al-Filistini al-Ghari, Literally means cave in Arabic. From the district of Gua Musang (literally meaning Fox Cave in Malay) in the state of Kelantan in Malaysia, e.g. Zamihan al-Ghari al-Hadrami, related to or from the region of Hadhramaut, e.g. Al-Ala al-Hadhrami, Ahmed Al-Hadrami, Imam al-Hadrami al-Hamadani, from Hamadan, Persia al-Hijazi, related to or from the region of Hijaz e.g. Amal Hijazi, Farouk Hijazi, Abu'l Abbas al-Hijazi al-Himsi, related to or from the city of Homs e.g. Qustaki al-Himsi, Ibn Na'ima al-Himsi. al-Harari, related to or from the city of Harar al-Iraqi, related to or from the country of Iraq e.g. Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi, Abdul Hadi al Iraqi, Abu Ayoub al-Iraqi al-Isfahani, from Isfahan, Iran al-Jaza'iri, related to or from the country of Algeria, e.g. Emir Abdelkader al-Jaza'iri, Abu Bakr al-Jaza'iri al-Jannabi, from Jannaba port city, Arrajan province of Iran al-Johori, from the state of Johor in Malaysia, e.g. Ahmad bin Ya'kob al-Johori al-Jurjani, from Gorgan, Iran al-Juzjani, from Guzgan, Iran al-Kadahi, from the state of Kedah in Malaysia, e.g. Syeikh Mahmud al-Kadahi al-Kairouani, related to or from the city of Kairouan in Tunisia. al-Kalantani, from the state of Kelantan in Malaysia, e.g. Ismail bin Abdul Majid al-Kalantani, Wan Ali bin Abdul Rahman al-Kalantani al-Khwarizmi, related to or from the region of Khwarazm, e.g. Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi al-Kohistani, from Kohistan, Pakistan al-Kuwaiti, related to or from the country of Kuwait, e.g. Abu Omar al-Kuwaiti, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, Jandal al-Kuwaiti al-Lahori, related to or from the city of Lahore, in Punjab, Pakistan, e.g. Ahmad al-Lahori al-Lubnani, related to or from the country of Lebanon, e.g. Bilal al-Berjawi al-Lubnani al-Lusunji, from Losong, in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, e.g. Afif al-Lusunji al-Maghrebi, related to or from the region of Maghreb, e.g. Ibn Yaḥyā al-Maghribī al-Samawʾal, Mahmud Sulayman al-Maghribi, Yusuf al-Maghribi. al-Makassari, from the city of Makassar in Indonesia, e.g. Muhammad Yusuf al-Makassari al-Masri, related to or from Egypt, e.g. Taher al-Masri, Abu Hamza al-Masri al-Nahawandi, from Nahavand, Iran al-Najdi, related to or from the region of Najd in Saudi Arabia, e.g. Qutaybah al-Najdi al-Nisaburi, al-Naysaburi, from Nishapur, Iran al-Qazwini, from Qazvin, Iran al-Quhistani, from Quhistan, Iran al-Qumisi, from Qumis, Iran al-Razi, from Ray, Iran al-Rûmi, from Rome al-Shami, related to or from the region of Levant or from the country of Syria, e.g. Nasser al-Shami, Husayn al-Shami, Abu Anas al-Shami, Abu Humam al-Shami al-Shinqiti, related to or from the city of Chinguetti or Bilād Šinqīṭ (Bilad Chinguetti, modern-day Mauritania), e.g. Ahmad ibn al-Amin al-Shinqiti al-Shirazi, from Shiraz, Iran al-Sindhi, related to or from the region of Sindh, e.g. Mohammad Hayyat al-Sindhi al-Singkili, from the town of Singkkl in the province of Aceh in Indonesia, e.g. Abd al-Rauf ibn Ali al-Fansuri al-Singkili al-Sistani, al-Sijistani, al-Sajistani, al-Sijzi, from Sistan, Iran or Greater Iran al-Tabari, from Tabaristan, Iran al-Tantawi, from Tanta, Egypt, e.g. Nasrudin Hasan Tantawi al-Tiflisi, from Tiflis (Tbilisi), Georgia al-Tihami, related to or from the region of Tihamah in Saudi Arabia al-Tikriti, related to or from the city of Tikrit, e.g. Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, Abu Raita al-Takriti, Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti al-Tunisi, related to or from the country of Tunisia, e.g. Abu Nasr al-Tunisi, Abu Osama al-Tunisi, Ali ibn Ziyad at-Tarabulsi al-Tunisi al-'Absi, Nabilah al-Tunisi al-Turki, related to or from the country of Turkey, e.g. Abu Yusuf Al-Turki, Azjur al-Turki, Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki, Hussain Al-Turki al-Tusi, from Tus, Iran al-Yemeni, related to or from the country of Yemen al-Yrifani, related to or from Yerevan al-Zayla'i, related to or from Zeila region and Zeila town in Horn of Africa, e.g. Abd Al-Rahman al-Zayla'i ar-Raniri, from the town of Rander, in Surat district in the state of Gujarat, India, e.g. Nuruddin ar-Raniri as-Sambasi, from the regency of Sambas in Indonesia, e.g. Muhammad Jabir as-Sambasi as-Sarawaki, from the state of Sarawak in Malaysia, e.g. Muhtar Suhaili As-Sarawaki as-Sumatrani, from the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, e.g. Syeikh Syamsuddin as-Sumatrani as-Sumbawi, from the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia, e.g. Syeikh Muhammad Zainuddin as-Sumbawi at-Tranjanuwi, from the state of Terengganu in Malaysia, e.g. Iskandar at-Tranjanuwi al-Darbandi, Darbandi, from Derbent, Persia El Djezairi, related to or from Algeria e.g. Abdelkader El Djezairi. Faridi, related to or from the region of Greater Faridpur in Bangladesh e.g. Abdul Haque Faridi al-Khurasani, from Khurasan, e.g. Abu Muslim, Abdallah ibn Tahir al-Khurasani Islamabadi, related to or from the city of Chittagong (previously known as Islamabad) e.g. Maniruzzaman Islamabadi al-Maneri, from Maner Sharif, India, e.g. Makhdoom Yahya Maneri al-Marwazi, from Marw, Khurasan al-Rûmi, from Rûm (The Balkans and Asia Minor) Siraji, related to or from the district of Sirajganj in Bangladesh e.g. Ismail Hossain Siraji
Tribes, clans or families al-Tamimi, from the tribe or clan of Bani Tamim. e.g. Modher Sadeq-Saba al-Tamimi, Talib al-Suhail al-Tamimi, Alaa al-Tamimi. al-Qurashi, from the tribe or clan of Quraish. e.g. ibn Kathir al-Qurashi, Abû 'Uthmân Sa'îd ibn Hakam al Qurashi. Al-Hashemi, from the clan of Banu Hashim. Members of the Hashemite dynasty are referred to with the nisba "Al-Hashemi". at-Ta'i, from the tribe of Tai'. e.g. Hatem at-Ta'i. al-Ishaaqi, from the tribe or clan of Ishaaq in Somaliland al-Banjari, from the people of Banjar ethnicity in Indonesia e.g. Muhammad Arsyad bin Abdullah al-Banjari al-Minankabawi - from the people of Minangkabau ethnicity in Indonesia e.g. Syeikh Ahmad Khatib al-Minankabawi, Syeikh Ismail Khalidi al-Minankabawi al-Mandaili - from the people of Mandailing ethnicity in Indonesia e.g. Haji Abdur Rahman al-Mandaili al-Rawi - from the people of Rawa ethnicity in Indonesia e.g. Tengku Limbang Laut al-Rawi
People al-Maliki, related to Malik al-Ashtar. e.g. Nouri al-Maliki al-Faruqi, related to Faruq the Great. e.g. Ismail al-Faruqi
Faith al-Nasiri, with nasiri meaning "Christian", more literally: "Nazarene" al-Majusi, with majus meaning "Zoroastrian" al-Falaki, with falak meaning "astronomy" e.g. Syeikh Tahir Jalaluddin al-Falaki
Multiples One can have more than one , one can be related to a city, a clan, a profession and a person at the same time. Examples include: Ali ibn Abi Hazm al-Qarshi al-Dimashqi, from the tribe of Quraish and from Damascus (Dimashq). Abd al-Qahir ibn Tahir al-Tamimi al-Shafi`i al-Baghdadi, from the tribe of Bani Tamim, from the city of Baghdad and a follower of Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi`i. Makhdoom Yahya Maneri al-Suharwardi al-Hashimi al-Muttalabi, from the town of Maner Sharif, of the Sufi order Suhrawardiyya, of the tribe Banu Hashim and clan of Abd al-Muttalib. The is optional but is quite widespread.
Examples Ansari — from Ansar, the people of Medina who helped Muhammad Hanbali — someone following Ahmad ibn Hanbal's school of Islamic jurisprudence Isma'ili — those who accepted Isma'il ibn Ja'far as the rightful Imam Zayla'i — someone from the historical port town of Zeila
See also Arabic name Kunya (Arabic)
Ó and Mac Takhallus - a nom de plume'' conventionally adopted by Islamic poets
References