Beginner's Guide to Arabic Proper Names (Part 2)

Continuing from Part 1, let me illustrate what I mentioned with some examples. Please feel free to comment if you have confusion or want to add a point.

Some examples of Arabic names and their explanations:

One can easily notice that names do not necessarily contain all five components as discussed. The omission of any one component from the name does not necessarily imply that the person lacks it; more often the names are presented in different ways in different places to different people. Such as Aboo Bakr as-Siddique (the first Caliph of the Ummah) is known by his kunyah ("Aboo Bakr") and laqab ("as-Siddique") only, but his full name containing ism and nasab and nisbah are generally unknown to common people, except those who know him well!

Sometimes it is practically impossible to know whether the middle (or the end) part of a person's name is the secondary ism (in case of people having double isms) or the nasab or the laqab just by reading the name of the person, because of people not fully complying with the traditional Arabic conventions. Such examples have also been given and discussed below.

1. Aboo 'Abdillaah Aal Ahmad al-Bengaalee
This means and translates into: Father of 'Abdullaah (son), of the family of Ahmad, from the land or tribe of al-Bengaal (Bangladesh and the part of India known as West Bengal)

Aboo 'Abdillaah = Kunyah, where name of son is an ism
Aal Ahmad = Nasab, tracing the family name which is an ism
al-Bengaalee = Nisbah, tracing the land or tribe of the ancestors or the usual location of the person
Hence the structure is: Kunyah + Nasab + Nisbah

Note that the kunyah does not necessarily mean the person already has a son called 'Abdullaah. Also the nisbah does not necessarily mean the person normally lives (or ever lived) in al-Bengaal, but it can show his geographical origin or tribal connection, which helps in identifying the person by foreign people and also helps the person to maintain kinship.

Also note that son is called 'Abdullaah but to place this in the father's kunyah, it becomes 'Abdillaah, as in Aboo 'Abdillaah. This is essentially to do with Arabic grammar.

2. Muhammad ibn Yoosuf ibn Yoonus Aal 'Uthaymeen al-Jaamaykee al-Amreekee
This means and translates into: Muhammad, son of Yoosuf (father), son of Yoonus (grandfather), of the family of 'Uthaymeen, from the land or tribe of al-Jaamaykaa (Jamaica), from the land of al-Amreekiyyah (America)

Muhammad = Ism
Ibn Yoosuf ibn Yoonus = Nasab, going back to two generations
Aal 'Uthaymeen = Nasab, tracing the family name which is an ism
al-Jaamaykee = Primary Nisbah, tracing the land or tribe of the ancestors
al-Amreekee = Secondary Nisbah, tracing the land of the ancestors or the usual location of the person
Hence the structure is: Ism + Nasabs + Nisbahs

Note that the two generation nasab relates to the isms of the father (Yoosuf) and the grandfather (Yoonus). Also the nasab is fully complete; it includes past two generations as well as the family name of the person. The nisbahs are also adequate to identify the tribe and location of the person.

3. Umm Ahmad Maryam bint Ahmad al-Jaamaykiyyah
This means and translates into: Mother of Ahmad (son), Maryam, daughter of Ahmad (father), from the land or tribe of al-Jaamaykaa (Jamaica)

Umm Ahmad = Kunyah, where name of son is an ism
Maryam = Ism
Bint Ahmad = Nasab, going back to one generation
al-Jaamaykiyyah = Nisbah, tracing the land or tribe of the ancestors or the usual location of the person
Hence the structure is: Kunyah + Ism + Nasab + Nisbah

Note that the name of the person's father occurring as an ism (Ahmad) has been preserved or carried forward by giving it to the son. This is common in many families and tribes.

4. Faatimah Ahmad
This means and translates into: Faatimah, of the family of Ahmad or daughter of Ahmad

Faatimah = Ism
Ahmad = Nasab, tracing the family name or may go back to one generation
Hence the structure is: Ism + Nasab

Note that the ism of the person is clear since Faatimah is feminine and Ahmad is masculine. However, Ahmad written or read after Faatimah may mean the family name of the person or the name of the person's father, both of which is considered as nasab. It appears that the name has been written this way for convenience or out of ignorance. The name should have been correctly written (or read) as Faatimah Aal Ahmad (Faatimah, of the family of Ahmad) or Faatimah bint Ahmad (Faatimah, daughter of Ahmad).

5. Aboo Hakeem Bilaal Davies al-Jaamaykee
This means and translates into: Father of Hakeem (son), Bilaal, of the family of Davies or son of Davies, from the land or tribe of al-Jaamaykaa (Jamaica)

Aboo Hakeem = Kunyah, where name of son is an ism
Bilaal = Ism
Davies = Nasab, tracing the family name or may go back to one generation
al-Jaamaykee = Nisbah, tracing the land or tribe of the ancestors or the usual location of the person
Hence the structure is: Kunyah + Ism + Nasab + Nisbah

Note that the detail for the nasab is ambiguous as explained in the previous example. However, Davies is a common non-Muslim family name, implying that the person is a revert to Islaam. The surname of a non-Muslim commonly refers to the family name of the person; hence it is most likely that Davies is the family name of the person. In such case, the name should be correctly written as Aboo Hakeem Bilaal Aal Davies al-Jaamaykee, though dropping 'Aal' before family name is becoming increasingly common for convenience or due to ignorance.

6. Aboo 'Abdir Rahmaan Muhammad Naasiruddeen al-Albaanee
This means and translates into: Father of 'Abdur Rahmaan, Muhammad, supporter of the religion, from the land or tribe of al-Albaaniyaa (Albania)

Aboo 'Abdir Rahmaan = Kunyah, where name of son is an ism or a laqab
Muhammad = Ism
Naasiruddeen = Laqab, meaning supporter of the religion
al-Albaanee = Nisbah, tracing the land or tribe of the ancestors or the usual location of the person
Hence the structure is: Kunyah + Ism + Laqab + Nisbah

Note that the laqab of the person comes immediately after the ism in this example, but it could precede the ism in some cases. The person is likely to be known primarily by his laqab, when both ism and laqab are available. The name of the person's son occurs as an ism, though it can be regarded as a laqab since the name ('Abdur Rahmaan) occurs in a compound form.

7. al-Hasan al-Basree
This means and translates into: al-Hasan (the good, the handsome), from the land or tribe of al-Basrah

al-Hasan = Ism or Laqab, meaning the handsome
al-Basree = Nisbah, tracing the land or tribe of the ancestors or the usual location of the person
Hence the structure is: Ism or Laqab + Nisbah

Note that the name of the person can be either an ism or a laqab or both ism and laqab, as it is preceded by the definite article. As per the general rule of thumb, it is the ism of the person. The nisbah does not necessarily mean the person's ancestors are from the tribe of al-Basrah, it may well be that the person lives (or lived) primarily in al-Basrah. (And the historical person al-Hasan al-Basree primarily lived in al-Basrah even though he was born in al-Madeenah.)

8. Muhammad Moosaa Aal Nasr
This means and translates into: Muhammad Moosaa, of the family of Nasr

Muhammad = Ism
Moosaa = Secondary Ism or Nasab, going back to one generation
Aal Nasr = Nasab, tracing the family name
Hence the structure is: Ism(s) + Nasab(s)

Note that the second part of this particular name, Moosaa, is ambiguous. It can be the second ism of the person (if the person has double forenmes) or the nasab going back to the person's father or the nasab tracing the family name of the predecessors or starting the family name for the successors. Since the part 'Aal Nasr' follows the part 'Moosaa', it cannot be the nasab that traces the family name of the predecessors, but whether Moosaa is the second ism or the nasab going back to the person's father cannot be verified from the information given. Also, the word 'Moosaa' cannot be considered as a laqab since it is not preceded by the definite article.

If the word 'Moosaa' is actually the ism of the person's father, then it should have been preceded by the particle 'ibn'. And if the word 'Moosaa' is actually the secondary ism of the person, then it should be kept as it is, but such secondary isms are not common in Arab cultures and it is not advised to have double isms which cause confusions.

This is a classic example of how it can be sometimes impossible to know, just by the information given, the exact description of some parts of a person's name. The problem rises when the middle part (or the end part) of the name is not preceded by a prefix such as ibn, bint or Aal or when the name does not occur as a laqab.

In some cultures, the part of the name after ism al-'aalam almost always denote the nasab tracing the family name, whereas in some other cultures, it usually denotes the secondary ism, and in other cases, it usually denotes the nasab going back to the person's father. In the first instance, Aal should be added as a prefix; in the second instance, the name is fine as it is though such practice is not common or encouraged; and in the final instance, ibn or bint should be added as a prefix. In case of a laqab, the format of the name helps identify it, such as Naasir ad-Deen automatically implies laqab.

References and suggested further reading:

1. Islam: The Religion and the People, by Bernard Lewis and Buntzie Ellis Churchill, Chapter – Some Practical Matters, page 171 onwards. Sections of the passages can be read online from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IVyMAvW9slYC (please go onto page 171)
Note that the book is not an authentic representation of Islaam and I do not endorse this book as a reliable source of beneficial knowledge about Islaam.

2. Islamic Names, by Annemarie Schimmel. Sections of the book (1989 CE edition) can be read online from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qThvezos8LgC&dq
Note that the book may not be fully accurate or reliable from cover to cover, but it is a very good read for non-Arabs to learn about Islaamic names.

3. A Dictionary of Muslim Names, by Salahuddin Ahmed. An excellent dictionary listing Muslim names for males and females, together with their original Arabic words and corresponding English meanings. Sections of the book can be read online from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=g72WpOWFMj8C&dq
The book can be purchased online from many websites for less than £10, such as from here: http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/id/A_Dictionary_of_Muslim_Names/9781850653578

4. The Typology of Arabic Proper Nouns, Department of the Arabic Resources, The CJK Dictionary Institute, Inc. The original 50 page treatise can be purchased for a fee by e-mailing jack@cjki.org and the first three pages of the treatise can be read online from: http://www.kanji.org/cjk/arabic/Typology_of_Arabic_Names.doc

5. Alfiyyah Ibn Maalik fee an-Nahw was-Sarf (ألفية ابن مالك في النحو والصرف)
This is a magnificent piece of Arabic literature, authored by Aboo 'Abdillaah Muhammad ibn Maalik, may Allaah have mercy on him. He was an Arab grammarian, who lived and died in the seventh century AH (thirteenth century CE). Ibn Maalik was born in al-Andalus (الأندلس), commonly known as Spain today. He mastered the Arabic grammar and the Shaafi'ee fiqh after migrating to Damascus (Dimashq) in Syria (Sooriyyah), where he lived and died.

6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_name

7. http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/islamic.shtml

8. http://heraldry.sca.org/laurel/names/arabic-naming2.htm

9. http://www.openlingua.de/ol/dictionary/english-arabic/

N.B. If someone finds any error or mistake in spelling, transliteration, translation, explanation or otherwise, please make a constructive comment for the error to be corrected. If someone feels something should be added, deleted or modified for whatever reason, please comment as appropriate. Thanks.