Notes on names, titles and dates

Names and titles

There was an elaborate system of nomenclature among the Arabic-speaking peoples in the early Islamic period. In full, each individual’s name could consist of four elements:

1. The personal name (Arabic, ism). This was most commonly Arabic (e.g. Aḥmad Fāṭima) or Qur’ānic (e.g. Ibrāhīm, Mūsā). With the arrival of Turks in the service of the caliphate, Turkish names became common among the military (e.g. Utāmish, Alptakīn); the correct form of these names is often difficult to determine, and variant spellings may be encountered. The Buyid family often used Persian names, e.g. Bakhtiyār, and a particular problem attaches to the transliteration of Persian names ending in ūya; this can also be transliterated as -wayh, so Būya becomes Buwayh, Ḥasanūya becomes Ḥasanwayh, etc. In general, the -ūya usage is becoming more common, but readers should be aware of both forms.
2. The kunya, sometimes inaccurately called the patronymic, which takes the form Abū —– and Umm —— i.e. “Father of ——”, “Mother of ——”. In early Islamic times, this usually denoted actual parentage, e.g. the Prophet’s kunya was Abū’l-Qāsim, from the name of his son al-Qāsim, who died in infancy. This was a more intimate way of addressing a ruler than a formal title, and some ‘Abbasid caliphs with very common isms were generally known by their kunyas, e.g. al-Manṣūr, whose ism was ‘Abd Allāh, was generally known as Abū Ja‘far after his eldest son. Likewise, al-Mu‘taṣim, whose ism was Muḥammad, was known as Abū Isḥeq.
3. The patronymic (nasab) indicating the individual’s father or extended pedigree. This takes the form ibn —— or bint ——, i.e. “son of ——”, “daughter of ——”, abbreviated to b. The plural form banū, literally “sons of”, indicates a tribe or clan.
4. The generic epithet (nisba) indicating a tribe or area to which an individual belonged, e.g. al-Sulamī meaning “from the tribe of Sulaym”, al-Khurāsānī meaning “from the province of Khurāsān”. The nisba was an adjective ending in ī (masc.) or iyya (fem.) and several might be appended to a name.

A ruler, a member of a ruling group or a dignitary might have a title or honorific (laqab) prefixed to his name. The Rāshidūn and Umayyad caliphs were simply known by their isms, but both ‘Abbasids and Fatimids adopted regnal titles indicating the fact that they were supported by Allah or that they were upholders of the Faith (dīn) and it is by these titles, or shortened versions of them, that caliphs are generally known, e.g. al-Manṣūr, al-Mu‘izz. From the fourth/tenth centuries onwards, members of successor dynasties used titles of the form ‘Imād al-Dawla, Rukn al-Dawla meaning “Support or Pillar of the (‘Abbasid or Fatimid) State”, and this nomenclature became widespread. For a full discussion of titles and their development, see the article Laḳab by C. E. Bosworth in the Encyclopaedia of Islam (Second edition).

The part of the name which is conventionally used by modern writers, including this one, is quite arbitrary and is more dependent on convention than logic.

Dates

The Muslim era opens with the Hijra (often spelt Hegira), i.e. the emigration of Muḥammad from Mecca to Medina in AD 622. Muslim years are therefore indicated by the abbreviation AH (Anno Hegirae). The Muslim year consists of twelve lunar months and is therefore approximately eleven days shorter than the solar year of the Western calendar. This also means that the months do not always occur in the same seasons of the year. There is no Muslim equivalent of BC dating. To find the AD equivalent to Muslim AH dates and vice versa, conversion tables are necessary. There are a number of easily accessible web-sites which will now do the conversion easily and accurately.