Abdul-Qayyum (عَبْدُ الْقَيُّوم) is an Arabic name for boys. It means servant of the Ever-Living Sustainer.
Meaning and root
In Arabic, words are built from a root of usually three letters. Abdul-Qayyum 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-Qayyum in the Quran?
The full name Abdul-Qayyum is not in the Quran, but the Name of Allah it is built on is. The Name al-Qayyum is in Ayat al-Kursi, 2:255: "Allah, there is no god but Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer."
Quran 2:255
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
Allahu laaa ilaaha illaa Huwal Haiyul Qaiyoom; laa taakhuzuhoo sinatunw wa laa nawm; lahoo maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ard; man zal lazee yashfa'u indahooo illaa bi-iznih; ya'lamu maa baina aydeehim wa mww khalfahum wa laa yuheetoona bishai'im min 'ilmihee illaa bimaa shaaa'; wasi'a Kursiyyuhus samaawaati wal arda wa laa ya'ooduho hifzuhumaa; wa Huwal Aliyyul 'Azeem
Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
Quran 2:255. Arabic: Uthmani text (Tanzil). English: Sahih International.
How to say and write Abdul-Qayyum
Say it ab-dul-qay-YOOM. The capital letters show the stressed part. In English it is also spelled Abdulqayyum, Abdul Qayyum and Abdul Qayoom. In Arabic it is written with 9 letters, from right to left: ع ʿayn + ب ba + د dal + ا alif + ل lam + ق qaf + ي ya + و waw + م mim.
Choosing Abdul-Qayyum
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-Qayyum, and not by the Name of Allah on its own. With the father's name it becomes Abdul-Qayyum bin (and the father's name): see what bin, bint and abu mean.
Names like Abdul-Qayyum
- Quran 2:255, translation by Sahih International.
- Sahih Muslim 2315.
- Sahih Muslim 2132.
- 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.