ʻAbd al-Aḥad (ALA-LC romanization of Arabic: عبد الأحد) is a masculine given name and surname of Arabic origin. It is built from the Arabic words ʻabd and al-Aḥad, one of the names of God in Islam. It is listed in the Qur'an, which give rise to the Muslim theophoric names.[1][2] It means "servant of the only One". Abd al-Ahad is also common among Arabic-speaking Christians, particularly Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, and Chaldean Catholics—several of whose clergymen, including the late patriarch Ignatius Peter VIII Abdul-Ahad, have borne the name. It was chosen as the Arabic equivalent of Dominic. For Christians with the name Abd al-Ahad, the name is interpreted as 'Servant of Sunday' with 'Ahad' signifying Sunday and 'Abd' meaning servant. The title 'Servant of Sunday' symbolizes a dedication or devotion to Sunday, which holds particular significance in Christianity as the day of Christ's resurrection and a day of worship and rest. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
- ʽAbd al-Ahad Khan (1859–1910), emir of the Emirate of Bukhara
- Abd ul-Aḥad Dāwūd, name adopted by David Benjamin Keldani (1867–1940), Persian Catholic priest who converted to Islam
- Abdel Ahad Gamal El Din, Egyptian politician
- Abdul Ahad (music director) (1918–1996), Bangladeshi lyricist and music director
- Abdulahad AbdulNour (1888–1948), Iraqi physician, politician, and humanitarian
- Abdul Ahad Azad (1903–1948), Kashmiri poet
- Abdul Ahad Fazli, Afghan Taliban official
- Abdul Ahad Hajini (born 1948), Indian writer, translator, and treasurer
- Abdul Ahad Karzai, (1922–1999), Afghan politician
- Abdulahad Malik (born 1986), Indian cricketer
- Abdul Ahad Momand (1959–2026), Afghan-German cosmonaut
- Abdul Ahad Talib, Afghan Taliban politician and commander
- Abdul-Ahad Dawood Tappouni, birth name of Ignatius Gabriel I Tappuni (1879–1968), patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church
- Abdul Ahad Vakil (1934–2014), Indian politician
- Abdul Ahad Wardak (1880–1949), Afghan politician
- Abdul'ahat Abdulrixit (born 1942), chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China
- Shah Abdul Ahad Afzali, Afghan politician
Surname
- Ghaith Abdul-Ahad (born 1975), Iraqi journalist
- Ignatius Peter VIII Abdalahad (1930–2018), patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church
References
- Salahuddin Ahmed (1999). A Dictionary of Muslim Names. London: Hurst & Company.
- S. A. Rahman (2001). A Dictionary of Muslim Names. New Delhi: Goodword Books.