Abdul-Karim, name meaning in Islam

Abdul-Karim (عَبْدُ الْكَرِيم) is an Arabic name for boys. It means servant of the Most Generous.

Meaning and root

In Arabic, words are built from a root of usually three letters. Abdul-Karim comes from the root ع ب د, and words from the same root share its core meaning. Similar names from the same family of words are listed below.

Is Abdul-Karim in the Quran?

The full name Abdul-Karim is not in the Quran, but the Name of Allah it is built on is. The Name al-Karim, the Most Generous, is in 82:6: "What has deceived you about your Lord, the Most Generous?"

How to say and write Abdul-Karim

Say it ab-dul-ka-REEM. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Abdulkarim and Abdul Kareem. In Arabic it is written with 9 letters, from right to left: ع ʿayn + ب ba + د dal + ا alif + ل lam + ك kaf + ر ra + ي ya + م mim.

Choosing Abdul-Karim

Names made of Abd and one of the names of Allah are among the best Muslim names. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The most beloved of your names to Allah are Abdullah and Abdur-Rahman",³ and scholars count other names of Allah joined to Abd after these two. Call the child by the full name, Abdul-Karim, and not by the Name of Allah on its own. With the father's name it becomes Abdul-Karim bin (and the father's name): see what bin, bint and abu mean.

Names like Abdul-Karim

• Abdullah
• Karim
• Abdul-Wahhab

1. Quran 82:6, translation by Sahih International.
2. Sahih Muslim 2315.
3. Sahih Muslim 2132.
4. Meanings follow classical Arabic usage and the standard name dictionaries; our teachers will check each one.

Our teachers will check the Arabic spelling and meaning on this page before launch.