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عَبْد الْمُطَّلِب

Abdul Muttalib: meaning of the name

Boy Arabic origin ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib

Family of the Prophet ﷺ

“The servant of al-Muttalib”: the by-name of the Prophet’s grandfather ﷺ

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Abdul Muttalib in Islam

ʿAbd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim, a notable of Mecca in charge of giving water to the pilgrims, took in the Prophet ﷺ when his mother Amina died and passed away when the child was eight. His sons include ʿAbd Allah, the Prophet’s father ﷺ, Abu Talib, Hamza and al-ʿAbbas. At Hunayn the Prophet ﷺ cried out: “I am the Prophet, this is no lie; I am the son of ʿAbd al-Muttalib” (al-Bukhari 2864).

Meaning of the name Abdul Muttalib

ʿAbd al-Muttalib means “the servant of al-Muttalib”. According to the biographers, the Prophet’s grandfather ﷺ was called Shayba; raised in Yathrib among his mother’s family, he was brought back to Mecca by his uncle al-Muttalib, and the Meccans, seeing him arrive with him, took him for his slave: the by-name stuck. Al-Muttalib, from the root ṭ-l-b, means “the one who seeks”. Ibn Hazm excepts it from the scholars’ agreement forbidding ʿAbd names followed by other than Allah (see the opinion below).

In Arabic
عَبْد الْمُطَّلِب عبد المطلب
Transliteration
ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib
Root
ط ل ب · 4 occurrences in the Quran
Gender
Boy
Origin
Arabic

Is Abdul Muttalib in the Quran?

The name Abdul Muttalib does not appear as such in the Quran, but its root (ط ل ب) occurs 4 times. Examples:

أَوْ يُصْبِحَ مَآؤُهَا غَوْرًا فَلَن تَسْتَطِيعَ لَهُۥ طَلَبًا ۝٤١

Or its water will become sunken [into the earth], so you would never be able to seek it."

Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 41

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَٱسْتَمِعُوا۟ لَهُۥٓ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَن يَخْلُقُوا۟ ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ ٱجْتَمَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ وَإِن يَسْلُبْهُمُ ٱلذُّبَابُ شَيْـًٔا لَّا يَسْتَنقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ ٱلطَّالِبُ وَٱلْمَطْلُوبُ ۝٧٣

O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allāh will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for it [i.e., that purpose]. And if the fly should steal from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued.

Surah Al-Hajj, Verse 73

إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ يُغْشِى ٱلَّيْلَ ٱلنَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُۥ حَثِيثًا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ وَٱلنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَٰتٍۭ بِأَمْرِهِۦٓ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلْخَلْقُ وَٱلْأَمْرُ تَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ۝٥٤

Indeed, your Lord is Allāh, who created the heavens and earth in six days and then established Himself above the Throne. He covers the night with the day, [another night] chasing it rapidly; and [He created] the sun, the moon, and the stars, subjected by His command. Unquestionably, His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allāh, Lord of the worlds.

Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 54

All the words of the root ط ل ب in the Quran (4 occurrences)

In the hadiths

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 2864

Somebody asked Al-Bar-a bin `Azib, "Did you flee deserting Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) during the battle of Hunain?" Al-Bara replied, "But Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not flee. The people of the Tribe of Hawazin were good archers. When we met them, we attacked them, and they fled. When the Muslims started…

لَمْ يَفِرَّ، إِنَّ هَوَازِنَ كَانُوا قَوْمًا رُمَاةً، وَإِنَّا لَمَّا لَقِينَاهُمْ حَمَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ فَانْهَزَمُوا، فَأَقْبَلَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ عَلَى الْغَنَائِمِ وَاسْتَقْبَلُونَا بِالسِّهَامِ، فَأَمَّا رَسُولُ…

Narrated by Al-Barā' ibn ‘Āzib + 16 other versions

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih Muslim 1776a

A man asked Bara' (b. 'Azib): Did you run away on the Day of Hunain. O, Abu Umira? He said: No, by Allah, The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did not turn his back; (what actually happened was that) some young men from among his companions, who were hasty and who were either without any arms or did not have…

مَا وَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلَكِنَّهُ خَرَجَ شُبَّانُ أَصْحَابِهِ وَأَخِفَّاؤُهُمْ حُسَّرًا لَيْسَ عَلَيْهِمْ سِلاَحٌ أَوْ كَثِيرُ سِلاَحٍ فَلَقُوا قَوْمًا رُمَاةً لاَ يَكَادُ يَسْقُطُ لَهُمْ سَهْمٌ…

Narrated by Al-Barā' ibn ‘Āzib + 16 other versions

Is this name permissible?

Ibn Hazm reports the scholars’ agreement that any name making a man the servant of other than Allah is forbidden, such as ʿAbd al-ʿUzza, ʿAbd Hubal, ʿAbd ʿAmr or ʿAbd al-Kaʿba, “except ʿAbd al-Muttalib”.

Ibn Hazm, Maratib al-ijmaʿ; Ibn Baz, fatwa 8890 (quoting this agreement)

Read the rules for choosing a name

This page is an aid to reflection, not a fatwa. For a personal case, ask a person of knowledge.

Writing Abdul Muttalib in each language

French
Abdelmottalib, Abdelmoutalib, Abdelmouttalib
English
Abdul Muttalib, Abd al-Muttalib, Abdulmuttalib
Spanish
Abd al-Muttalib, Abdulmuttalib
Turkish
Abdülmuttalib, Abdulmuttalip
Arabic
عَبْد الْمُطَّلِب

Similar names

See also

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