عَبْد الرَّحْمَن
Boy Arabic origin ʿAbd al-Raḥmān
CompanionName of Allah“Servant of the Most Merciful”, one of the two names most beloved to Allah
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The most beloved of your names to Allah are ʿAbd Allah and ʿAbd al-Rahman” (Muslim 2132). The Companion ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAwf, one of the very first Muslims, is famous for his generosity; he was called ʿAbd ʿAmr before Islam and the Prophet ﷺ changed his name.
ʿAbd al-Rahman combines ʿabd, “servant”, with al-Rahman, “the Most Merciful”, a name of Allah from the root r-h-m of mercy and reserved to Him alone. The name affirms that one is the servant of the One whose mercy encompasses all things. It is written Abdul Rahman or Abdurrahman in English, Abderrahmane in the Maghreb and Abdurrahman in Turkey.
This name is built on a name of Allah found in the Quran; its verses are on the page of that name.
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَٰلِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَٰدَةِ هُوَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٢٢
He is Allāh, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
قُلِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ أَوِ ٱدْعُوا۟ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنَ أَيًّا مَّا تَدْعُوا۟ فَلَهُ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَٱبْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا ١١٠
Say, "Call upon Allāh or call upon the Most Merciful [ar-Raḥmān]. Whichever [name] you call - to Him belong the best names." And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way.
All the words of the root ر ح م in the Quran (339 occurrences)
"Indeed, the dearest of your names to Allah is ‘Abdullah and ‘Abdur-Rahmān."
إِنَّ أَحَبَّ أَسْمَائِكُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَعَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ "
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Abdurrahman 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.
