The prefix “al” means “the” in the Arabic language.

Ever hear names in the news such as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, al-Badri, Ansar al-Sunna, or al-Zarqawi? Surely, we are all familiar with al-Qaeda; literally translated, al-Qaeda means “the base” or “the foundation”. But what does ‘al’ mean? The prefix “-al” is the equivalent of the English word “the”.

According to a recent article:

“Surnames that begin with ‘al’ often refer to the place where someone’s ancestors were born. Saddam Hussein, for example, used to be called by his family name, ‘al-Tikriti.’ Since ‘al-‘ serves as the definite article, the name ‘Saddam al-Tikriti’ means ‘Saddam, the guy from Tikrit.’

In these cases, the last name generally ends with the letter ‘i,’ which turns the name of a place into a description of a person. Arabic surnames can also combine the definite article with the name of a profession. Ali Hassan al-Majid, for example, was given the nickname ‘Chemical Ali,’ or ‘Ali al-Kimyai’—which can be translated as ‘Ali the Chemist.’ (Indeed, the English word ‘alchemy’comes from the Arabic term for chemistry combined with the ‘al-‘ prefix.)”

The Arabic Language is filled with many such nuances. that’s why successful marketing and localization require a thorough understanding of the Arabic culture to make a translation truly successful.