Rizvi

Rizvi or Rizavi is the Urdu pronunciation for the Persian surname Razavi or the Arabic surname Radawi/Radhawi. It is a surname commonly associated with Shia Muslims who are the descendants of the 8th Shiite Imam and a descendant and successor of Prophet Mohammad through his daughter Fatimah married with Ali ibn Abi talib, Imam Mohammad al-Taqi al Jawwad. Since the Rizvi clan trace their lineage to Fatimah al Zehra, they often use the prefix Syed (or its synonyms) in front of their name. Rizvi Sayyids are from the lineage of Musa al Mubarraqa the younger son of ninth Twelver Shiite Imam Mohammad al-Taqi al Jawwad and the younger brother of tenth Shiite Imam Ali al-Hadi Naqi. Musa al Mubarraqa is known to be the ancestor of those Sayyids who use the title of his grandfather and eight Shiite Imam Ali al-Reza or Al-Rida in their surnames. All Rizvi, Ridawi and Razavi Sayyids are from the descendants of Musa al Mubarraqa along with all Taqvi, Taqwi, Jawadi and Jawwadi Sayyids.

It is a fact that all Sayyids known as Razavi, Ridawi or Rizvi are actually Taqawi and Jawwadi. Imam Ali al-Reza or Al-Rida had no son other than Imam Mohammad al-Taqi al Jawwad. If he had other sons than Imam Mohammad al-Taqi al Jawwad then their offspring should have been called Razavi, Ridawi or Rizvi Sayyids. As Imam Ali al-Reza or Al-Rida came to Iran and died in Tous, many descendants of his son Imam Mohammad al-Taqi al Jawwad were also called Razavis, Ridawis or Rizvis. Many Shia Rizivis lived in the Iranian (Persian) city of Sabzevar, city of Qom and Jajarm now in North Khurasan before migrating to Delhi, Zaidpur of district Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh and Kashmir in India. Though they are often regarded as a Shia majority, there are some well known and authenticated Rizvis who prescribe to Sunni beliefs. The claim that Sunni Rizvis are descendants of Prophet Mohammad through his seventh descendant Ali ar-Ridha is true, and also holds validity for Shia Muslims.

There are well known Rizvis in the Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh, India. Although they are a Sunni majority, there are established Shias living there as well. They are the descendents of Meer Shahrukh Rizvi, a migrant from Mazendran, Iran, and close associates of Muhammad Ghori. Meer Shahrukh's tomb is in the village of Ruhasa, where he had originally settled. Meer Surkh Rizvi had 45 villages under his control, as referred to in the "Imperial Gazetteer of India, vol 16, p.157 & Vol 20, page 128(URL given below). The members of this clan were talukdars of this area. Most of them have been of the numberdar surname. Some are well respected farmers with an established status in their local communities. The younger generation has attained higher education and settled in various Indian cities and provinces. An increasing number has migrated to the West and have been working in the Gulf and other countries.

Notable people with the surname Rizvi

• Adeebul Hasan Rizvi is head of Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation.(SIUT).
• Ayatullah Syed Ahmed Rizvi Kashmiri, is Shia Mujtahid who lived in Kashmir and died on 9 July 1964.
• Khan Bahadur Aga Syed Hussain born as Syed Hussain Rizvi (1876-1944) was the first Matriculate of Kashmir,a Judge of the first High Court of Jammu and Kashmir , and later the only Muslim Minister in the Dogra Rule in Kashmir.
• Ayatollah Sa'id Akhtar Rizvi, was an Indian born, and actively promoted Islam in East Africa.
• Akhtar Hussein Rizvi was a noted Indian lyricist and poet under the pen name "Kaifi Azmi"
• Abbas Razavi, is a retired Iranian footballer and football coach
• Abbas Rizvi, is a Pakistani author and Urdu poet
• Ali Hussain Rizvi, is a former Pakistani cricketer
• Anusha Rizvi, is a Bollywood Director, famous for her debut movie, Peepli Live
• Asif Iqbal Rizvi, is a former Pakistani cricketer
• Atefeh Razavi, is an Iranian actress and make-up artist
• Behzad Rizvi, is an Iranian professor and researcher of electrical and electronic engineering
• Haidar Abbas Rizvi, is the deputy parliamentary leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the National Parliament of Pakistan
• Jalaluddin Rizvi, is a former field hockey player who represented India
• Kaveeta (Nasreen Rizvi), is a Pakistani film actress
• Khawar Rizvi, was a prominent poet of Urdu and Persian
• Khurshid Rizvi, Pakistani scholar, poet, linguist and historian of Arabic languages and literature
• Majida Rizvi, is the first woman judge of a High Court in Pakistan
• Muhammad Rizvi, is a Twelver Shī‘ah scholar, a speaker, as well as an author
• Naushad Ali Rizvi, is a former Pakistani cricketer
• Qasim Razvi, was the leader of a local militia, the Razakars of Hyderabad, India
• Runa Rizvi, is an Indian singer
• Saeed Rizvi, is a Pakistani film director, producer, and writer
• Samad Rizvi, was a Pakistani astronomer
• Sangeeta (Parveen Rizvi), is a Pakistani film actress, director and producer
• Shah Ïnayatullah Rizvi, was a 17th-century revolutionary poet from Miranpur, Sindh, Pakistan
• Shakeb Jalali (Hasan Rizvi) was a Pakistani Urdu poet of a unique diction
• Sonya Jehan (Sonya Rizvi), is a Pakistani actress
• Suhail Rizvi, is co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Rizvi Traverse Management LLC
• Syed Ali Nawaz Shah Rizvi, is a Pakistani politician
• Syed Ali Qutab Shah Rizvi, was a member of the Pakistani Sindh Provincial Assembly
• Meesaq Rizvi, was a Pakistan sprinter and also a middle-distance runner
• Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi, was a pioneer of the Pakistani film industry
• Zameer Rizvi, is a Canadian singer and musician
• Ziauddin Rizvi, was a Shi'a cleric born at Aumphary, Gilgit, to a religious family