alGilani

al-Gilani, also transliterated as al-Gillani or Gillani, is a nisba—a toponymic surname—derived from Gilān, the historical region in northern Iran. The designation indicates origin from or association with Gilān and is used by Arabic- and Persian-speaking communities across the Muslim world.

Gilān lies along the Caspian Sea and has a long cultural history. The nisba is common among scholars and religious figures, reflecting regional or familial ties; it is encountered in Iran, the Levant, the Indian subcontinent, and the Arab world. The name is thus found across diverse linguistic and geographic contexts, often indicating a connection to the Gilān region or its heritage.

The most famous bearer of the name is Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077–1166), a Persian Sufi saint and founder of the Qadiriyya order. He is a central figure in Sufism, and his spiritual lineage and writings influenced practices and institutions across a wide area of the Islamic world.

The name appears in various other historical and contemporary contexts as part of the broader nisba tradition; it may be rendered with orthographic variants such as Gillani or Gilani. As with many nisbas, al-Gilani signals origin or affiliation rather than a single hereditary lineage.