Al-Musawi ( ar, الموسوي, ) is a surname that indicates a person comes from a prestigious and highly respected Arabian family descending from the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...
through al-Imam Musa al-Kadhim ibn Jafar as-Sadiq (7th Shi'a Imam). Family members from this dynasty are amongst the most respected and well-known Arabs.
Members of this family are referred to by the anglicised version of their name. They are usually given the
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
title
Sayyid
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...
before their first name, implying that a person is a direct descendant of Muhammad through his sixth generation grandson,
Musa al-Kadhim
Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kazim ( ar, مُوسَىٰ ٱبْن جَعْفَر ٱلْكَاظِم, Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar al-Kāẓim), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan, Abū ʿAbd Allāh or Abū Ibrāhīm, was the seventh Imam in Twelver Shia Islam, after h ...
. Some Mūsawis of the subcontinent also take the last name of
Kazmi Kazemi, Kazimi, Kazmi, or al-Kadhimi ( ar, الكاظمي al-Kadhimi) is a surname found most commonly in Iran, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The surname is conventionally used by people who trace their patrilineal descent from Imam ...
(الكاظمي). Some Mūsawis migrated from Mecca and Madina
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
to a small village where their ancestor
Musa Al-Kadhim
Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kazim ( ar, مُوسَىٰ ٱبْن جَعْفَر ٱلْكَاظِم, Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar al-Kāẓim), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan, Abū ʿAbd Allāh or Abū Ibrāhīm, was the seventh Imam in Twelver Shia Islam, after h ...
is buried in
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesipho ...
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
( Kadhimain). Large members of the family are located in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, but they are also located in other
Arab countries
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
such as
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
,
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the no ...
,
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
,
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
,
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, and
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...
. As well as in present day
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
, and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.
The Al Musawi family is one of the largest and most influential families in the world. All Moussawi's are descendants from the
Musa Al-Kadhim
Musa ibn Ja'far al-Kazim ( ar, مُوسَىٰ ٱبْن جَعْفَر ٱلْكَاظِم, Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar al-Kāẓim), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan, Abū ʿAbd Allāh or Abū Ibrāhīm, was the seventh Imam in Twelver Shia Islam, after h ...
who is the son of Imam
Ja'far al-Sadiq
Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al-Ṣādiq ( ar, جعفر بن محمد الصادق; 702 – 765 CE), commonly known as Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq (), was an 8th-century Shia Muslim scholar, jurist, and theologian.. He was the founder of th ...
son of Imam
Muhammad Al-Baqir
Muḥammad al-Bāqir ( ar, مُحَمَّد ٱلْبَاقِر), with the full name Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, also known as Abū Jaʿfar or simply al-Bāqir () was the fifth Imam in Shia Islam, succee ...
son of Imam Ali
Zayn al-Abidin
ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ( ar, علي بن الحسين زين العابدين), also known as al-Sajjād (, ) or simply as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (), , was an Imam in Shiʻi Islam after his father Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle Hasan ...
son of
Imam Hussain
Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...
son of Imam
Ali Bin Abi Talib
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
and the son of
Fatimah
Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, t ...
the daughter of the
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...
. Members of the Al-Mūsawi family are called with the title
Sayed
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhammad ...
literally means ''Mister'' or ''Sir''. As an
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
title, it denotes males accepted as the direct descendants of the
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...
. Members are mainly Shi'a Muslims found mainly in
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
and other parts of the world.
The roots of the Al-Mūsawi family comes from the Head tribe of
Banu Hashim
)
, type = Qurayshi Arab clan
, image =
, alt =
, caption =
, nisba = al-Hashimi
, location = Mecca, Hejaz Middle East, North Africa, Horn of Africa
, descended = Hashim ibn Abd Manaf
, parent_tribe = Qur ...
, a clan of
Quraish
The Quraysh ( ar, قُرَيْشٌ) were a grouping of Arab clans that historically inhabited and controlled the city of Mecca and its Kaaba. The Islamic prophet Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the tribe. Despite this, many of the Qu ...
, which makes them
Adnani Arabs
Adnan ( ar, عدنان, 'adnān) is the traditional ancestor of the Adnanite Arabs of Northern, Western, Eastern and Central Arabia, as opposed to the Qahtanite Arabs of Southern Arabia who descend from Qahtan. His ancestry can be traced back t ...
or Northern Arabs who are originated from Ibrahim through his son
Ishmael
Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...
in
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
, now
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, in the ancient city of Ur, near Nasariyah, in Southern Iraq.
* Sayed Ala Sayed Mohammad Sayed Ahmed Sayed Abed AlMusawi: Is a Kuwaiti Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon and former university teacher. Grand son of Sayed Ahmed Sayed Abed AlMusawi former member of the Kuwaiti government, has a street in Kuwait named after him (Sayed Ahmed Sayed Abed Al Mousawi Street) Therefor making him one of the people that made Kuwait the country it is today. Link:https://www.pressreader.com/kuwait/arab-times/20151125/282406988262655
* Sulaimaan Rabi' Al-Musawi - (1812- 1895) was a renowned Kuwaiti teacher who taught Mubarak the Great the Emir of Kuwait. He opened a school in the
Grand Mosque of Kuwait
The Grand Mosque ( ar, المسجد الكبير) is the largest mosque in Kuwait. Its area spans , out of which the building itself covers . The main prayer hall is wide on all sides, and has teakwood doors. Natural lighting is provided by 1 ...
.
*
Mohammed Mehdi al-Qazwini
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monothe ...
- renowned religious scholar, proposed the idea of the third wall of Kuwait in 1920.
* Muhammad Hassan Al-Musawi - (1912 - 12 January 1995) was one of the most prominent and pioneering Kuwaiti educators. He was the grandson of Sayyid Sulaimaan Rabi' Al-Musawi. He was chosen as the principal of the Jafari School in Kuwait and introduced English and Arabic Literature and Grammar to the school. He served from 1942 to 1973 earning him the title of "The Educator of Generations". He developed and re-organised the curricula of different subjects including Science and PE, introduced the Unified Examinations system, Seat Numbers, School Reports (Transcripts), all of which are still used across all public schools in Kuwait. When he got sick and was offered to be sent abroad for treatment, he refused saying "I don't want to die in a strange land."
*
Muhammad Baqir al-Muhri
Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Al-Mūsawī Al-Muhrī ( ar, السيد محمد باقر الموسوي المهري; also spelled Al-Mohri; 25 December 1948 – 4 July 2015) was a Kuwaiti Shi'ite Islamic Scholar, and a representative (''wakil'') of the majo ...
- (1948 - 2015) was one of the most prominent scholars in Kuwait's history. He was a deputy of about 15
marja'
Marji ( ar, مرجع, transliteration: ''marjiʿ''; plural: ''marājiʿ''), literally meaning "source to follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority gi ...
, the founder of the Islamic-Christian Relationships Council, the founder of The Congregation of Muslim Scholars in Kuwait, Imam of Imam Ali Mosque in Kuwait, politician and newspaper writer, and the author of The Philosophy and secrets of Hajj book.
* Dhiyaa Al-Musawi - Bahraini author and cleric.
*
Hussain Al-Musawi
Hussain Al-Musawi ( ar, حسين الموسوي, fa, حسن موسوی; born 11 July 1988) is a Kuwaiti footballer who plays as a striker for Kuwaiti Premier League club Al Arabi and the Kuwait national football team.
International career I ...
- Kuwaiti footballer and one of Al-Arabi SC top scorers.
In Iraq
* Nasrallah al-Haeri - religious scholar and poet, played an important role in inner-Islamic ecumenical dialogue during the Ottoman era.
* Madhiha Hassan al-Mosuwi - an aid worker for the Iraqi government who some people have begun calling the "Mother Teresa of Baghdad"
*
Husain al-Radi
Husain Ar-Radi (;1924, Najaf – 24 February 1963, Baghdad), also known as Hashiim, 'Ammar, and Salam Adil (), was an Iraqi communist politician as well as a poet and painter. He was the leader of the Iraqi Communist Party from 1955 until his ...
- general secretary of Communist party of Iraq, killed after torture in Qasr Al-Nihaya in 1963 (Radi is of Musawi descent)
* Musa al-Musawi - known for writing polemical revisionist texts on Islam
*
Ibrahim al-Jaafari
Ibrahim Abd al-Karim al-Eshaiker ( ar, إبراهيم عبد الكريم الأشيقر; born 25 March 1947), also known as Ibrahim al-Jaafari, is an Iraqi politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq in the Iraqi Transitional Government from 200 ...
- politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq in the Iraqi Transitional Government from 2005 to 2006, following the January 2005 election. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2014 to 2018.
* Hassan al-Qazwini - founder and leader of the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, representing the Twelver Shi'a branch of Islam
In Lebanon
*
Abbas al-Musawi
Abbas al-Musawi (; ar, عباس الموسوي; 26 October 1952 – 16 February 1992) was an influential Lebanese Shia cleric, co-founder and Secretary General of Hezbollah. He was killed by the Israel Defense Forces in 1992.
Early life ...
- (1952 - 16 February 1992) was an influential Muslim Scholar.
* Husayn Al-Musawi - is Lebanese who founded the now-dissolved Islamist militia Islamic Amal in 1982.
*
Ibrahim Mousawi
Ibrahim Mousawi ( ar, إبراهيم الموسوي; also spelled Moussawi, El-Moussaoui, born 1965) is a Lebanese people, Lebanese journalist and spokesman for the Islamism, Islamist group Hezbollah.
Biography
He was born in 1965 to a family fr ...
- is a Lebanese journalist and media relations officer.
In Iran
* Ruhollah Khomeini - (September 1902 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian religious leader and scholar, politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. (Khomaini is of Mūsawi descent, he descended from the Safavid dynasty.الشيعة في التاريخ,السيد علاء الموسوي العاملي
*
Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abu al-Qasim al-Musawi al-Khoei ( ; ar, أبو القاسم الموسوي الخوئي; fa, ; November 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was an Iranian- Iraqi Shia marja'. Al-Khoei is considered one of the most influential tw ...
- one of the most influential Twelver Shia Islamic scholars of the 20th century.
*
Mohammad Ali Mousavi Jazayeri
Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad-Ali Mousavi Jazayeri ( fa, محمدعلی موسوی جزایری) (born 1941) is an Iranian Twelver Shia cleric, who has been appointed as the representative of Vali-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist) in Khuzest ...
is an Iranian Twelver Shi'a cleric, was the previous representative of Wali-Faqih in Khuzestan province + Ahwaz Imam of Friday.
* Abdorrahim Musavi - is the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Iranian armed forces.
* Mujtaba Musavi Lari - is a Shi'a Twelver Islamic scholar.
*
Ali Mousavi
Seyed Ali Mousavi ( fa, سید علی موسوی, born 22 April 1976) is an Iranian former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Club career
Mousavi was born in Khorramshahr, Iran. He played in the German 2. Bundesliga with Fortuna ...
Kazmi Kazemi, Kazimi, Kazmi, or al-Kadhimi ( ar, الكاظمي al-Kadhimi) is a surname found most commonly in Iran, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The surname is conventionally used by people who trace their patrilineal descent from Imam ...
Sadr
The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (; SADR; also romanized with Saharawi; ar, الجمهورية العربية الصحراوية الديمقراطية ' es, República Árabe Saharaui Democrática), also known as Western Sahara, is a ...
Al-Hashemi Al-Hashimi, also transliterated Al-Hashemi ( ar, الهاشمي), Hashemi, Hashimi or Hashmi ( fa, هاشمی) is an Arabic, Arabian, and Persian surname.Shahristani
* Sharif al-Ulama
*
Al Husseini
AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Al (Aladdin), Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media
* Al (EastEnders), Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British ...
* Al-Mirakoni
* Some members of the Almazidi family
* Nasrallah
* Dhiya al-Din
* Sharaf Al Din
* Al Shouki