Murtadha Nasir Nasrallah (; 1922–2005) was an Iraqi doctor of law, he worked as a professor at the

University of Baghdad The University of Baghdad (UOB) ( ar, جامعة بغداد ''Jāmi'at Baghdād'') is the largest university in Iraq, tenth largest in the Arab world, and the largest university in the Arab world outside Egypt. Nomenclature Both University ...

's business school. He was a celebrated author, writing some of the leading books on corporation law.

Early life and education

Nasrallah was born in

Kadhimiya Kadhimiya ( ar, ٱلْكَاظِمِيَّة, al-Kāẓimiyyah, ) or Kadhimayn (, ) is a northern neighbourhood of the city of Baghdad, Iraq. It is about from the city's center, on the west bank of the Tigris. 'Kadhimiya' is also the name of on ...

in 1922. Originally from

Karbala Karbala or Kerbala ( ar, كَرْبَلَاء, Karbalāʾ , , also ;) is a city in central Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorat ...

, his father Nasir Nasrallah moved to Kadhimiya early in the 20th-century. His mother was the daughter of Sheikh Muhammad-Kadhim al-Shaybani. His father hails from the noble

Al Faiz family The family of Al Faiz ( ar, آل فائز, ʾĀl Fāʾiz; ), also transliterated in a number of other ways, including Al Fa'iz, Al Fa'ez, Al Faez, or Al Fayez, is the oldest Alids, Alid family of Karbala, which they have occupied, on some occasion ...

that hold high status in Karbala, Nasrallahs grandfather, Sayyid Ali Nasrallah was the of the

Imam Husayn shrine The Imam Husayn Shrine ( ar, مَقَام ٱلْإِمَام ٱلْحُسَيْن ٱبْن عَلِيّ, Maqām al-ʾImām al-Ḥusayn ʾibn ʿAlī) is the mosque and burial site of Husayn ibn Ali, the third Imam of Shia Islam, in the city of ...

, whilst his great-grandfather, Sayyid Ahmed Nasrallah was the of the al-Abbas shrine. Nasrallah claims

agnatic Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

descent from

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 hi ...

, the seventh

Shia Imam In Shia Islam, the Imamah ( ar, إمامة) is a doctrine which asserts that certain individuals from the lineage of the Islamic prophet Muhammad are to be accepted as leaders and guides of the ummah after the death of Muhammad. Imamah further ...

. His ancestors on some occasions ruled Karbala, and held custodianship of its holy sites. He completed his primary education at the Amiriya school in Kadhimiya, and went on to study his secondary studies in the Markaziya school 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 Ctesiphon ...

. From there on he was admitted into Law school in 1943, and completed his bachelors in Law in 1947. He travelled to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in 1947, and joined the Faculty of Law at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

. In Switzerland, he graduated with a diploma in Law in 1948, a diploma in International Law in 1949, and then a doctorate of Law in 1952.

Career

He returned to Iraq in 1952, upon completing his PhD in Switzerland, and joined the University of Baghdad's Law school as a teacher. In 1960 he became an assisting professor, and in 1969 a professor. He then moved to

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, working as a Law professor at the

University of Jordan The University of Jordan ( ar, الجامعة الأردنية), often abbreviated UJ, is a public university located in Amman, Jordan. Founded in 1962 by royal decree, it is the largest and oldest institution of higher education in Jordan. ...

between the years 1983 and 1997. After this he retired.

Works

* ''Mabādiʾ al-Qānūn al-Duwalī al-Khāṣ al-Tijārī'' 'Principles of Private International Commercial Law''(1962). * ''Al-ʾAwrāq al-Mālīyah Alatī Taṣdurhā al-Sharikāt al-Musahama'' 'Securities issued by joint stock companies'' (1968). Research paper released in al-Balagh magazine, year #2. issues 4, 5, 6, and 7. * ''Al-Sharikāt al-Tijārīyah'' 'Trading Companies''(1969) – via New York University Libraries.

Personal life

Nasrallah was married and had children. He was a close friend of Iraqi sociologist, Dr. Ali al-Wardi, and would often help him with his research.

Death

Nasrallah died in 2005 in Kadhimiya, and was buried in Karbala in one of the family crypts in the old cemetery.

References