Nazir (title)

The Arabic title nāẓir (ناظر, nazır ) refers to an overseer in a general sense. In Islam, it is the normal term for the administrator of a waqf (charitable endowment). The office or territory of a nāẓir is a nazirate.

According to al-Qābisī, writing in the tenth century, the pagan ruler of Tadmakka appointed a superintendent, which al-Qābisī calls a nāẓir, from among the Muslims living in his land to oversee them. This was probably a common arrangement in the Sahara and Sahel regions.

The title was used in Egypt for the heads of government departments and agencies before it adopted a modern cabinet system. It was synonymous with inspector, supervisor or controller. In Egypt it may also be used for the directors or managers of commercial enterprises.

In the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, the title nāẓir al-khuṭṭ was used for the official in charge of a subdivision of a district. Usually he was a tribal head. Nāẓir ʿumūm was a traditional and usually hereditary Sudanese title for the head of a tribal confederation. It was only infrequently recognised by the Anglo-Egyptian government, but it was used for lower-level salaried officials in the Jazīra. As a traditional Sudanese title, nāẓir may be an Arabic rendering of the originally Funj titles mānjil and manfona. One of the nāẓir ' s duties was to administer uncultivated land (qifār) within the tribal homeland (dār).