Musa al-Sadr (Arabic: ?????? ???? ???????; Persian: ??? ???? ?????; 4 June 1928 – disappeared in Libya on 31 August 1978) is a Lebanese-Iranian philosopher and Shi'a religious leader from a long line of distinguished clerics tracing their ancestry back to Jabal Amel.
Born in the Chaharmardan neighbourhood of Qom, Iran, he underwent both seminary and secular studies in Iran.
He belongs to the Sadr family from Jabal Amel in Lebanon, a branch of Musawi family tracing to Musa Ibn Jaafar, the seventh Shia Imam and ultimately to the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima.
Therefore, Musa al-Sadr is often styled with the honorific title Sayyid.
Fouad Ajami called him a "towering figure in modern Shi'i political thought and praxis".
He gave the Shia population of Lebanon "a sense of community".
In Lebanon, he founded and revived many organizations including schools, charities, and the Amal Movement.
On 25 August 1978, Sadr and two companions departed for Libya to meet with government officials at the invitation of Muammar Gaddafi.
The three were last seen on 31 August.
They were never heard from again.
Many theories exist around the circumstances of Sadr's disappearance, none of which have been proven.