Fazl

Fazl is a masculine given name and, less commonly, a surname in many Muslim‑influenced cultures. It derives from the Arabic faḍl, meaning grace, bounty, or favor, and is widely used in Urdu, Persian, and Turkish naming traditions. The root also appears in longer compound names such as Fazl-ud-Din or Fazlul, and its variants are common across the region.

In practice, Fazl is most common in South Asia—Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh—and in other Persianate and Arabic‑speaking communities. Transliteration varies, yielding Fazl, Fadl, or Fadhl; related forms include Fazlul and Fazlur, which are often used as given names in full names. The name can carry connotations of virtue or beneficence, reflecting its semantic heritage.

Notable individuals with the root include Abdul Karim Fazlul Huq (A. K. Fazlul Huq; 1873–1962), a Bengali statesman who led undivided Bengal and served as its prime minister, and Fazlur Rahman Malik (1919–1988), commonly known as Fazlur Rahman, a prominent Islamic scholar and author. Variants of the name appear in other well‑known figures as well, illustrating its broad geographical and cultural reach.

The name Fazl remains common in contemporary South Asia and among diaspora communities, continuing to be used in various forms and transliterations that reflect regional linguistic practices.