قَالَ إِنِّى عَبْدُ ٱللَّهِ ءَاتَىٰنِىَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَجَعَلَنِى نَبِيًّا ٣٠
[Jesus] said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allāh. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.
عَبْد اللَّه
Abdullah: meaning of the name
Boy Arabic origin ʿAbd Allāh
Family of the Prophet ﷺName of AllahIn the Quran“Servant of Allah”, the name most beloved to Allah
The word as it is recited in the Quran: Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary, Maryam 19:30.
Abdullah in Islam
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The most beloved of your names to Allah are ʿAbd Allah and ʿAbd al-Rahman” (Muslim 2132). It was the name of his father, and the Quran uses it for the Prophet himself (“when the servant of Allah stood up calling upon Him”, 72:19) and for ʿIsa (“I am the servant of Allah”, 19:30). Many Companions bore it: Ibn Masʿud, Ibn ʿUmar, Ibn ʿAbbas.
Meaning of the name Abdullah
ʿAbd Allah joins ʿabd, “servant, worshipper” (root ʿ-b-d, that of worship, ʿibada), with Allah, the proper name of God: “the servant of Allah”. The name expresses the condition Islam recognises in every human being, and it is the model of the whole family of ʿAbd names. It is written Abdullah in English, Turkish and South Asian usage, Abdallah or Abdellah in the Maghreb.
- In Arabic
- عَبْد اللَّه عبد الله
- Transliteration
- ʿAbd Allāh
- Root
- ع ب د · 275 occurrences in the Quran
- Gender
- Boy
- Origin
- Arabic
Is Abdullah in the Quran?
Yes: the word Abdullah appears in the Quran 2 times, in 2 surahs.
وَأَنَّهُۥ لَمَّا قَامَ عَبْدُ ٱللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُوا۟ يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَدًا ١٩
And that when the Servant [i.e., Prophet] of Allāh stood up supplicating Him, they almost became about him a compacted mass."
All the words of the root ع ب د in the Quran (275 occurrences)
In the hadiths
Authentic
Sahih Muslim 2132
Indeed, the dearest of your names to Allah is ‘Abdullah and ‘Abdur-Rahmān
"Indeed, the dearest of your names to Allah is ‘Abdullah and ‘Abdur-Rahmān."
إِنَّ أَحَبَّ أَسْمَائِكُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ "
Is this name permissible?
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Abdullah in particular: the general rules of Islam apply.
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 Abdullah in each language
- French
- Abdallah, Abdellah, Abdoullah, Abdullah
- English
- Abdullah, Abdallah
- Spanish
- Abdalá, Abdullah, Abdallah
- Turkish
- Abdullah
- Arabic
- عَبْد اللَّه
