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Old Arabic names are based on a very sophisticated naming system: most Arab s do not simply have first/middle/last names, but a full chain of names. This system is in use throughout Arab World . Due to the importance of the Arabic Language in Islam , a large majority of the world's Muslim s use Arabic first names (''ism''), but it is not common outside the Arab world to employ the full naming conventions described below. STRUCTURE OF THE ARAB NAME Ism The main name of an Arab person is the ''ism'', his or her personal name. This could be for example Karim or Mahmud. Most Arabic names are originally Arabic words with a meaning, usually signalling the good character of the person. Indeed, ''karīm'' means "generous", ''maħmūd'' means "praiseworthy", and both words are employed as Adjective s and Noun s in regular language. Arab newspapers sometimes try to avoid confusion by placing names in brackets or between quotation marks. Generally, however, context and grammar will easily tell the reader what is part of the name and what is not, but for a foreign student of Arabic, this can initially be troublesome.
:A very common form for Muslim Arab names is the combination of "`. The result is a name such as Abdullah ("Submissive to the God") or Abdurrashid ("Submissive to the Righteous One"). As a result, "Abdul" used by itself means "slave of the" and is not a complete Arabic name.
:Most Christian Arabs have names that are indistinguishable from those of their Muslim neighbors, but there are also many who retain names of Greek , Armenia n, or Syriac origins. Adoption of Europe an names, especially French ones, has been a centuries-long convention for Arab Christians — especially but not only in the Levant . Thus, George Habash , Charles Helou , Camille Chamoun , etc. Kunya Often, a Karim" for "Father of Karim". The female variant is "Umm", thus "Umm Karim". The ''kunya'' precedes the ''ism'' when not substituting it. Nasab The ''nasab'' is a Patronymic , or series of patronymics—it indicates the person's heritage by the word ''ibn'' (sometimes ''bin'') which means "son". Thus Ibn Khaldun means "son of Khaldun" (Khaldun is the father's ''ism'', or proper name). Several ''nasab'' can follow in a chain, to trace a person's ancestry backwards in time. This was important in the Tribally based society of the ancient Arabs, both for purposes of identification and for social and political interaction. Laqab The ''laqab'' is intended as a description of the person. So, for example, in the name of the famous Abbasid Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid (of A Thousand And One Nights fame). Haroun is the Arabic form for Aaron, and "al-Rashid" means "the righteous" or "the rightly-guided". Nisba The ''nisba'' describes a person's occupation, geographic home area, or descent (tribe, family, etc). It will follow a family through several generations, and it is for example common to find people with the name ''al-mişrī'' (the Egyptian, or rather "of Egypt") in many places in the Middle East , despite the fact that their families may have resided outside Egypt for several generations. The ''nisba'' perhaps most closely resembles the Western surname. EXAMPLE :Abu Karim Muhammad al-Jamil ibn Nidal ibn Abdulaziz al-Filastini Or, transliterated: abū karīm muhammadu-l-jamīl ibn nidāl ibn 'abdi-'azīzi-l-filastīnī This means, in translation: :"Father-of-Karim, Muhammad, the beautiful, son of Nidal, son of Abdulaziz, the Palestinian" :(''jamīl'' means beautiful; ''azīz'' means Magnificient, and it is one of the 99 names of God.) Abu Karim is a ''kunya'', Muhammad is the person's proper name (''ism''), al-Jamil is a ''laqab'', Nidal is his father (a ''nasab''), Abdulaziz his grandfather (second-generation ''nasab'') and "al-Filastini" is his family ''nisba''. Normally, this person would simply be referred to as "Muhammad" or "Abu Karim", but to signify respect or to specify ''which'' Mohammad we are speaking about (namely, the beautiful one from Palestine ), the name could be lengthened as above, to the extent necessary or desired. WESTERNIZATION OF ARAB NAMING PRACTICES It must be noted that many Arabic Countries have now adopted a Westernized way of naming. This is the case for example in Lebanon and Maghreb countries where French conventions are followed, and it is rapidly gaining ground elsewhere. Also, many Arabs adopt to Western conventions for practical purposes when travelling, constructing a first name/surname model out of their full Arab name, to fit Western Visa applications or other official forms and documents. The reverse side to this, is the surprise of many Westerners when asked to supply their first name, second name, father's name ''and'' family name in some Arab visa applications. MISTAKES MADE BY EUROPEANS AND OTHER NON-ARABS It is important to note that, while such names may be written "Abdul (something)", "Abdul" means "servant of the" and is not, by itself, a name. Thus, to address Abdul Rahman bin Omar al-Ahmad by his given name, one must say "Abdul Rahman", not merely "Abdul". Another mistake sometimes happens with names including the Arabic word `alā' علاء = "nobility". (Here, ` represents the Ayin sound and ' represents the Glottal Stop .) In Arabic pronunciation, `alā' and ''Allāh'' are clearly different. But European s, Iran ians, India ns often cannot pronounce some Arabic sounds correctly, and tend to pronounce these two names the same. For example, an Internet search will find many instances of the Muslim man's name `Alā'-ed-dīn = "the nobility of the religion" misspelt as ''Allah-ed-din''. Another mistake can result from differences between Arabic grammar and the grammar of some other languages. Arabic forms noun compounds in the opposite order from Iranian languages. For example, during the recent war in grammar, this name means "the Allah who belong to Muhammad", which is not acceptable as a man's name. But by the rules of Iranian and India n grammar this name means "the Muhammad who belongs to Allah", which is acceptable; the Arabic equivalent is "Muhammad Ullah". Most Afghan s speak Iranian languages. Such mismatched, and grammatically incorrect Arabic and Arabic-Persian compound names are not uncommon in Afghanistan. Another mistake can result from Europeans not knowing that "Allāh" often becomes "Ullāh" when it is the second part of an Arabic compound, as in ''Habīb Ullāh'' = "friend of God"; here a European may in error report the man's name as 'forename "Habib", surname "Ullah"'. MODERN AND REGIONAL VARIATIONS
ARAB FAMILY NAMING CONVENTION ''Muhammad bin Ahmad'' means Muhammad ''son of'' Ahmad similar to ''Fatima bint Muhammad'' means Fatima ''daughter of'' Ahmad. In Pakistan , and other Muslim countries, ''bin'' and ''bint'' is dropped. The chosen first name of the child, plus the first name of the father, forms the name of the child. For example: Muhammad Ahmad |
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