Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and all his Companions. To proceed:
Among the names recommended in Islam are names in which the word “Abd” (servant/worshipper) is attached to one of the Names of Allah, such as:
Abdullah.
Abd al-Rahman.
Abd al-Aziz.
Abd al-Karim.
Among the most beloved of these names to Allah are Abdullah and Abd al-Rahman, based on the authentic hadith:
“The most beloved names to Allah are Abdullah and Abd al-Rahman.”
As for attaching “Abd” to someone other than Allah, this is not permissible if the intended meaning is servitude or worship of that created being, such as Abd al-Rasul, Abd al-Nabi, and Abd al-Husayn, and similar names.
The word “Al-Ilah” in Arabic refers to the one who is worshipped, meaning the one who deserves to be worshipped.
Idols were called alihah (gods) because the polytheists worshipped them besides Allah, even though they did not actually deserve worship.
Allah, Most High, says:
﴿And your God is One God; there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 163]
And He says:
﴿That is Allah, your Lord; there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, the Creator of all things.﴾ [Al-An‘am: 102]
Thus, “Al-Ilah” means the one who is worshipped and who is deserving of worship.
Some scholars have stated that the Divine Name “Allah” is derived from Al-Ilah, with the hamzah omitted for ease of pronunciation. This was the view preferred by Ibn al-Qayyim and others.
The word “Al-Ilah” has been included in some lists in which the Names of Allah were enumerated, and which were transmitted in some versions of the hadith concerning the ninety-nine names.
However, hadith scholars have explained that the enumeration of the Names in the well-known narration is not authentically established from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in a manner that can be relied upon to restrict the Names of Allah to that list.
Therefore, scholars did not rely solely on those lists. Rather, they studied and extracted the Names of Allah from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
A number of scholars, including Ibn Mandah, Ibn Hazm, Ibn Hajar, Ibn al-Wazir, and Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on them), included “Al-Ilah” among the Names of Allah.
The word “Al-Ilah” also occurs in the Qur’an and Sunnah in connection with Allah, and the texts establish that Allah alone possesses divinity and alone deserves worship.
Based on the above, naming a person “Abd al-Ilah” is permissible, because its meaning is: the servant of the deity who deserves worship, meaning the servant of Allah, Most High.
It is therefore one of the names that express servitude to Allah, and not servitude to a created being.
It does not affect the ruling that this name may not have been common among the early generations, or that it may not have been widespread among the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). What matters is that the name is permissible in terms of its meaning and its Islamic basis, not merely that it was commonly used by earlier generations.
“Al-Ilah” linguistically means the one who is worshipped, and the only one who truly deserves worship is Allah, Most High.
The word “Al-Ilah” indicates Allah’s divinity and His exclusive right to be worshipped.
Naming a person “Abd al-Ilah” is permissible, because it means the servant of Allah, the One who deserves worship.
It is not a condition for a name to be valid that it was commonly used among the Companions or earlier generations, as long as its meaning is sound and it does not contain anything prohibited by Islamic law.
Names that express servitude to someone other than Allah, such as “Abd al-Rasul” and similar names, are not permissible.
And Allah knows best.