Al-Jabbar
/al dʒabˈbɑːr/noun
An Arabic divine name traditionally translated as “the Compeller,” “the Restorer,” or “the Irresistible.”
Did you know?The Arabic root j-b-r was associated both with compelling or overpowering and with mending broken bones, while the related term al-jabr gave English the word “algebra.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*g-b-r
“A root associated with strength, force, and prevailing.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
jabara
“To compel, force, restore, or set right; in medical usage, to mend a broken bone.”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
jabbār
“Powerful, overwhelming, mighty, or one who compels; an intensive form of the root.”
Qur'anic Arabic, 7th Century
Arabic
al-Jabbār
““The Compeller” or “The Restorer,” one of the divine names in Qur'an 59:23.”
9th–10th Century
Arabic
al-jabr
“The restoration or recombination of what is broken or missing; the title of al-Khwarizmi’s foundational algebraic treatise.”
Modern English
English
Al-Jabbar
“A transliterated Arabic divine name, also used as a personal or institutional name.”