Gilani Explained
Gilani, Gillani or Geelani is a toponymic surname (nisba) linked to the Gilan Province in Iran. It is also used by people indicating association with the founder of the Qadiriyya Sufi order Abdul Qadir Gilani. Some members refer to themselves as Kilani, however they maintain the same lineage. The Zoubi's also share the same lineage as the Gilani and the Kilani, owing to their ancestor Ahmad Ali Al Gilani who was later titled Al-Zoubi. Notable people with the surname (or variants) include:
People with the name
- Sayyed Abdul-Qadir Gilani (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
- Abd Al-Rahman Al-Gilani (1841–1927), first Prime Minister of Iraq in 1920
- Rashid Ali al-Gilani (1892–1965), Prime Minister of Iraq in 1933 and 1941
- Abdul Qader al-Keilani (1874–1948), early 20th century Syrian statesman and religious authority
- Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani (born 1952), Prime Minister of Pakistan from March 24, 2008, to April 26, 2012
- Ahmed Gailani (born 1932), Afghan politician
- Bahadur Khan Gilani, officer of the Gujarat Sultanate in India
- Benjamin Gilani (born 1946), Indian theatre and television actor
- Daood Gilani, pseudonym of David Headley, Pakistani−American convict for the 2008 Mumbai attacks
- Faleh Al-Kilani (born 1944), Iraqi scholar, poet, and writer
- Fatima Gailani (born 1954), Afghan political leader and women's rights activist
- Fauzia Gailani (born 1971), Afghan politician
- Haji Gilani (died 2003), participant in the 2001 Afghan war
- Hamid Raza Gilani, Pakistani politician
- Imtiaz Gilani (born 1947), Pakistani engineer and academic
- Jamila Gilani (born 1960), Pakistani politician and leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement
- Kamel al-Kilani (born 1958), minister in the Iraqi Interim Council
- Manazir Ahsan Gilani, Indian Muslim philosopher from Gilan, Bihar
- Mian Ghulam Jilani (1914–2004), critic of the Bhutto government
- Mohammad Mohammadi Gilani (born 1928), Iranian cleric and religious authority
- Mohammad Rasoul Al-Kailani (1933-2003), founder and first director of the Jordanian General Intelligence Department.
- Mubarak Ali Gilani, Hanafi, Qadiri sheikh
- Nezam al-Din Ahmad Gilani (1585 – c. 1662), philosopher and physician during the Deccan Sultanate in India
- Syeda Sarwat Gilani (born 1982), Pakistani actress and model
- Syed Ali Shah Geelani, separatist leader, important member of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference
- Sayed Ishaq Gailani (born 1954), Afghan Politician
- Syed Mumtaz Alam Gillani (born 1940), Pakistani lawyer and politician
- Zahed Gilani (1216–1301), 13th century leader of the Zahediyeh Sufi order
- Syed Iftikhar Hussain Gillani, Pakistani Former Federal Minister for Law and Justice
See also
