Moulay (Arabic: مولايّ mawlāyy) is a title of nobility given to members of the Sharifian dynasties of Morocco, namely, the Saadi Sultanate and the current rulling Alawi dynasty.[1][2] The title is worn by the male members of those dynasties, who historically claimed to be descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.[3][4]

The title itself could be translated to "My lord", it has roots from the Arabic mawlā 'master'.[5]

The most important figures currently holding this title are:

The first person to hold this title was Idris I, who founded the first Moroccan dynasty in the 8th century.[5]

Its equivalent title for female member of Sharifian dynasties is Lalla.

References

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  1. ^ Campo, Juan Eduardo (2009). Encyclopedia of Islam. Infobase Publishing. p. 481. ISBN 978-1-4381-2696-8.
  2. ^ "Loterre: PN Terminology: Abd al-Raḥmān, sultan of Morocco, 1778-1859". skosmos.loterre.fr. Linked Open TERminology REsources. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  3. ^ Esposito, John L. (2003-05-15). The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-19-512559-7.
  4. ^ Hoiberg, Dale (2000). Students' Britannica India. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-0-85229-760-5.
  5. ^ a b Everett-Heath, John (2018-09-20), "Moulay Idriss", The Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/acref/9780191866326.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-19-186632-6, retrieved 2024-05-02