Means "seeker of knowledge, student" in Arabic. Abu Talib was an uncle of Muhammad who raised him after his parents and grandparents died.
Abu Talib was an uncle of the Islamic Nabi (Arabic: نَـبÙي‎‎, Prophet) Muhammad, and father of the Rashid Caliph 'Ali, who is also regarded as the first Shi'ite Imam. There is a great debate among Muslim scholars on whether he died a Muslim or a non-Muslim.
Alawi (Arabic: علوي‎‎) means "follower of Ali", and is a common surname (and sometimes as a given name) in the Muslim world. In Arab countries occupied by the British Empire, the name is transliterated as "Alawi". In Arab countries that were occupied by the French Third Republic, the name is transliterated as "Alaoui".
