Gilani or Gillani is a toponymic surname (

nisba The Arabic word nisba (; also transcribed as ''nisbah'' or ''nisbat'') may refer to: * Nisba, a suffix used to form adjectives in Arabic grammar, or the adjective resulting from this formation **comparatively, in Afro-Asiatic: see Afroasiatic_lang ...

) linked to the Gilan Province in Iran. It is also used by people indicating association with the founder of the

Qadiriyya The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri ta ...

Sufi order

Abdul Qadir Gilani ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...

. Notable people with the surname (or variants) include: *Sayyed

Abdul-Qadir Gilani ʿAbdul Qādir Gīlānī, ( ar, عبدالقادر الجيلاني, ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī; fa, ) known by admirers as Muḥyī l-Dīn Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Sāliḥ ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī al-Baḡdādī al-Ḥasanī al-Ḥusayn ...

(1077–1166), 12th century Muslim Saint, Scholar and Author of books on spirituality * Sayyed Abdullah Awn ibn Yala al Hashimi al Gilani (c. 1028–1099), medieval Persian Sufi, preacher and religious scholar * Sayyed Abd Al-Rahman Al-Gilani (1841–1927), first Prime Minister of Iraq in 1920 *

Abdul Qader al-Keilani Abdul Qader Husni al-keilani al-Hasani (1874–1948) ( ar, عبدالقادر حسني الكيلاني) was a Syrian nationalist, statesman and religious authority. Lineage and early Life Sayed Abdul Qader was born in Aleppo in 1874 to the pr ...

(1874–1948), early 20th century Syrian statesman and religious authority *

Ahmed Gailani Pir (Sufism), Pir Sayyid Ahmed Gailani ( fa, پیر سید احمد گیلانی 1932– 21 January 2017), was the leader (Pir) of the Qadiriyyah Sufi order in Afghanistan, and the founder of the National Islamic Front of Afghanistan (''Mahaz-i-M ...

(born 1932), Afghan politician *

Bahadur Khan Gilani Bahadur Khan Gilani was an officer of the Gujarat Sultanate. During 1491–1494, the islands of Bombay were wrested from Gilani's control by the Bahamani general Mahmud Gavan. During the greater portion of the 15th century, from the reign of Ah ...

, officer of the Gujarat Sultanate in India *

Baqa Jilani Mohammad Baqa Khan Jilani (20 July 1911 – 2 July 1941) was a bowler who represented India in Test cricket. Jilani was related by marriage to the family that also produced Majid Khan, Javed Burki and Imran Khan, who is the former Prime Mini ...

(1911–1941), early 20th century cricketer from the Punjab *

Benjamin Gilani Benjamin Gilani is an Indian film, television and stage actor who works in Hindi cinema. Early life and career Gilani was schooled at Bishop Cotton School, Shimla. He is a postgraduate from Delhi University having studied and taught English lit ...

(born 1946), Indian theatre and television actor * Daood Gilani, pseudonym of

David Headley David Coleman Headley (born Daood Sayed Gilani; June 30, 1960) is an American terrorist. He is currently serving a 35-year sentence in the United States after pleading guilty to 12 international terrorism charges. It has been alleged that Headl ...

, Pakistani−American convict for the 2008 Mumbai attacks * Faleh Al-Kilani (born 1944), Iraqi scholar, poet, and writer *

Fatima Gailani Fatima Gailani ( ps, فاطمه گیلانی; born in Kabul in 1954) is an Afghan political leader and women's rights activist, who previously served as president of the Afghan Red Crescent Society. She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women o ...

(born 1954), Afghan political leader and women's rights activist *

Fauzia Gailani Fauzia Gailani was elected to represent Herat Province in Afghanistan's Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of its National Legislature, in 2005. She won almost 16,885 votes, more than any other candidate in Herat. Prior to her election Fauzia, a mot ...

(born 1971), Afghan politician *

Haji Gilani Haji Gilani was the first person to give Hamid Karzai shelter in the province of Uruzgan, Afghanistan as Karzai launched his anti-Taliban revolt weeks before the religious militia collapsed under heavy U.S. The United States of America (U.S ...

(died 2003), participant in the 2001 Afghan war *

Hamid Raza Gilani Syed Hamid Raza Gilani ( ur, ; 17 August 1936 – 24 January 2004) was a former Pakistani Federal Minister and Ambassador. Early life In keeping with his family's tradition, Syed Hamid Raza Gilani received his early education at Aitchison Coll ...

, Pakistani politician * Ikram Ali Shah Gelani (1947-2017) Architect, Author and Founder Director of School of Architecture & Design (

UET Lahore The University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (UET Lahore) is a public university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan specializing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. It is the oldest and one of the most ...

) *

Imtiaz Gilani Imtiaz Gilani is a Pakistani civil engineer and a vice chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology (Peshawar), Pakistan from 2004 till 2016. Imtiaz Gilani was Minister for Education, Information, Youth, Tourism and Culture (1999- ...

(born 1947), Pakistani engineer and academic *

Jamila Gilani Jamila Gilani ( ps, ; ur, ; also spelled Jamila Gallani) is a Pashtun nationalist politician who is the spokesperson of the National Democratic Movement (NDM). She served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013. S ...

(born 1960), Pakistani politician and leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement *

Kamel al-Kilani Kamel Mubdir al-Kilani ( ar, كامل مبدر الكيلاني) (born 1958) was Minister of Finance in the cabinet appointed by the Interim Iraq Governing Council in September 2003. A Sunni Muslim and contractor, al-Kilani remained in Iraq during ...

(born 1958), minister in the Iraqi Interim Council *

Manazir Ahsan Gilani Manazir Ahsan Gilani (1 October 1892 – 5 June 1956) was an Indian Sunni Islamic scholar and former Dean of The Faculty of Theology in Osmania University. He wrote ''Tadwin-e-Hadith'', ''Muqaddama Tadwin-e-Fiqh'' and ''Sawanih Qasmi''. Muhammad ...

, Indian Muslim philosopher from Gilan, Bihar *

Mian Ghulam Jilani Major General Mian Gulam Jilani (SQA, Imtiazi Sanad) (1 March 1913 – 1 March 2004) was a two-star general officer in the Pakistan Army who, as an Indian Army officer during the Second World War had survived a Japanese PoW camp at Singapore. ...

(1914–2004), critic of the Bhutto government *

Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani ( fa, محمد محمدی گیلانی) (31 August 1928 – 9 July 2014) was a member of the Assembly of Experts of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He was the chief justice of the supreme court of Iran, a posi ...

(born 1928), Iranian cleric and religious authority *

Mubarak Ali Gilani Mubarik Ali Shah Gillani (August 15, 1936– May 15, 2021 in Lahore) was a Pakistani Sufi religious leader of the Qadiriyya tariqa (order). He was the founder of The Muslims of America and also founded the International Qur'anic Open University. ...

, Hanafi, Qadiri sheikh *

Nezam al-Din Ahmad Gilani Nezam al-Din Ahmad Gilani (1585 – after 1662), also known by his honorific title of Hakim al-Molk, was an Iranian peoples, Iranian philosopher and physician from Gilan, who served the Qutb Shahi dynasty, Qutb Shahi rulers in the History of India ...

(1585 – c. 1662), philosopher and physician during the Deccan Sultanate in India *

Rashid Ali al-Gaylani Rashid Ali al-Gaylaniin Arab standard pronunciation Rashid Aali al-Kaylani; also transliterated as Sayyid Rashid Aali al-Gillani, Sayyid Rashid Ali al-Gailani or sometimes Sayyad Rashid Ali el Keilany (" Sayyad" serves to address higher standing ...

(1892–1965), Prime Minister of Iraq in 1933 and 1941 *

Syeda Sarwat Gilani Sarwat Gilani ( ur, ; born 22 December 1982) is a Pakistani model, film, television and voice actress. Film career Gilani made her movie debut in '' Jawani Phir Nahi Aani'' where she played a pregnant Pashtun woman opposite Vasay Chaudhary. ...

(born 1982), Pakistani actress and model *

Syed Ali Shah Geelani Syed Ali Shah Geelani (1929–2021) was an Islamist, pro-Pakistan, Sumantra BoseSyed Ali Shah Geelani: The man who fought for Kashmir’s freedom BBC News, 2 September 2021. "First, he made it clear that although a proud Kashmiri, he consider ...

separatist Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seeking greate ...

leader, important member of the

All Parties Hurriyat Conference All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organizations formed on 9 March 1993, as a united political front to raise the cause of Kashmiri separatism in the Kashmir conflict. Mehmood Ahmed Sagh ...

Sayed Ishaq Gailani Sayed Ishaq Gailani (born 1954) is a Politics of Afghanistan, politician in Afghanistan representing Paktika Province, Paktika province in the Wolesi Jirga, Afghanistan's lower house of National Assembly of Afghanistan, parliament. He is the found ...

(born 1954), Afghan Politician *

Syed Mumtaz Alam Gillani Syed Mumtaz Alam Gillani (also spelled ''Gilani'' and ''Geelani'') (20 January 1940 – 17 March 2020) was a Pakistani lawyer who served as federal minister of Human Rights, a new portfolio, the Ministry of Human Rights which was carved out o ...

(born 1940), Pakistani lawyer and politician *

Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani Yusuf Raza Gilani (Urdu: ; born 9 June 1952), is a Pakistani politician who served as 18th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 25 March 2008, until his retroactive disqualification and ouster by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on 26 April 2012. He ...

(born 1952), Prime Minister of Pakistan from March 24, 2008, to April 26, 2012 *

Zahed Gilani Taj Al-Din Ebrahim ibn Rushan Amir Al-Kurdi Al-Sanjani (or Sinjani; Persian:تاج الدين ابراهيم كردی سنجانی)‎ (1218 – 1301), titled Sheikh Zahed (or Zahid) Gilani, was an Iranian Grandmaster (murshid-i kamil) of the f ...

(1216–1301), 13th century leader of the Zahediyeh Sufi order * Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gillani, Pakistani Former Federal Minister for Law and Justice

References

{{Reflist Persian-language surnames Toponymic surnames Nisbas People from Gilan Province

See also

References