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Gilani

{{Infobox surname

| name = Gilani

| image =

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| pronunciation =

| meaning = Toponymic surname meaning "from Gilan"

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| origin =

| variant = Gillani, Geelani, Kilani, Kailani, Kaylani, Jilani

|derivation=Gelae (tribe)}}

Gilani, Gillani, or Geelani (Persian/Urdu: گیلانی, Arabic: الجيلاني) is a toponymic surname and nisba. It is used to refer to members of the Hasanid family that traces their lineage to Abdul Qadir Gilani, known for being the founder and eponym of the Qadiriyya order of the mystical Sufi branch of Islam.

Variations of the surname include Kilani or Kailani (Arabic: الكيلاني), commonly used in the Arab world, and Jilani. The levantine Zoubi family also share the same lineage, as their ancestor Ahmad Ali Al Gilani was titled Al-Zoubi later in life. Members of the Gilani family can be found in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

Lineage

The Gilani family descends from Abdul Qadir Gilani (1078—1166), the founder of the Qadiriyya Sufi order and a notable Sunni Hanbali scholar. Abdul Qadir was considered to be a Sayyid as both of his parents were direct descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His father, Musa (Abu Saleh) bin Abdullah, was a direct descendant of Muhammad's grandson Hasan, and his mother, Fatima (Umm al-Khair) Bint Abdullah Al Soma'ai Al-Husseini, was a descendant of Muhammad through his grandson Hussein.{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/TheGrandSaint |title=The Grand Saint of Islam}}

Derivation

Gilani is a nisba meaning from Gilan. Abdul Qadir was given the nisba after traveling to Baghdad in 1095 AD at 18 years old to pursue the study of Hanbali law.{{Cite book |last=Campo |first=Juan E. |title=Encyclopedia of Islam |date=2009 |publisher=Facts On File |isbn=978-1-4381-2696-8 |location=New York}}{{Citation |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam. |volume=1: A - B |date=1986 |editor-last=Gibb |editor-first=Hamilton A. R. |edition=reprint |isbn=978-90-04-08114-7}} There are conflicting reports about the birthplace of Abdul Qadir and in turn, the true origin of the surname; while some sources maintain that he was born in the Iranian province of Gilan, others maintain that he was born in Gilan-e-Gharb, a city in the Kurdish Kermanshah province, or in the village of Jilan near Baghdad.{{Cite journal |last=Baqerzadeh |first=Jamshid |last2=Sayyedzadeh Hashemi |first2=Sayyed Qalander |date=2013 |title=Zendegani, Shakhsiyyat va Asar-e 'Abd al-Qader Gilani va Ta'sir-e Shakhsiyyat va Maktab-e U bar 'Erfan va Arefan-e Jahan-e Eslam |journal=Hafez |volume=95 |pages=54-58}}

Notable Members

See also

{{surname}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Category:Arabic-language surnames

Category:Persian-language surnames

Category:Toponymic surnames

Category:Nisbas

Category:People from Gilan province