Abdul

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Abdul (Arabic: عبد ال ‎), (also transliterated Abdel, `Abd al- (Arabic: عبد ال ‎), and other ways) is a phrase composed of the word عبد (Abd: servant or slave) and ال (Al: , the prefix meaning "The"). The phrase appears as a component of many Arabic and specifically Muslim names, where it is the opening of religiously based names meaning servant of God, where the last component of the name is a name for God, such as "The Creator" etc. The term is combined with one of the Names of God in the Qur'an to form a Muslim Arabic theophoric name. Common examples are Abdul Aziz (Servant of the Almighty), Abdul Rahman (Servant of the Benevolent), and Abdul Rahim (Servant of the Merciful). The name "Abdul Masīh" (عبد المسيح), meaning "servant of the Messiah" is an Arabic Christian equivalent.

As Arabic pronunciation requires a liaison in this instance (as a possessive construction), non-Arabic speakers tend to mistake the liaison of Abd and Al as a single word, such as Abdul or Abdel depending on dialectal pronunciation. As such, in non-Arabic-speaking countries, Abdul is sometimes used as a name on its own, as in Paula Abdul.