Abdur-Rahim, name meaning in Islam

Abdur-Rahim (عَبْدُ الرَّحِيم) is an Arabic name for boys. It means servant of the Most Merciful.

Meaning and root

In Arabic, words are built from a root of usually three letters. Abdur-Rahim 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 Abdur-Rahim in the Quran?

The full name Abdur-Rahim is not in the Quran, but the Name of Allah it is built on is. The Name ar-Rahim, the Most Merciful, is in 1:3 and in every bismillah.

How to say and write Abdur-Rahim

Say it ab-dur-ra-HEEM. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Abdurrahim, Abdul Raheem and Abdul Rahim. In Arabic it is written with 9 letters, from right to left: ع ʿayn + ب ba + د dal + ا alif + ل lam + ر ra + ح ḥa + ي ya + م mim.

Choosing Abdur-Rahim

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, Abdur-Rahim, and not by the Name of Allah on its own. With the father's name it becomes Abdur-Rahim bin (and the father's name): see what bin, bint and abu mean.

Names like Abdur-Rahim

• Abdur-Rahman
• Rahma
• Abdur-Rauf

1. Quran 1:3, 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.