The Oud ( /ˈuːd/; Arabic: عود‎ ʿūd, plural:أعواد, a‘wād; Assyrian:ܥܘܕ ūd, Greek: ούτι; Persian: بربط‎ barbat; Turkish: ud or ut;Armenian: ուդ, Azeri: ud; Hebrew: עוד ud‎; Somali: cuud or kaban) is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African (Chaabi, Classical, and Andalusian) and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths. The oud is readily distinguished by its lack of frets and smaller neck.

The origin of the name oud (and its etymological cousin, lute) for the musical instrument is uncertain, but the Arabic العود (al-ʿūd) refers literally to a thin piece of wood similar to the shape of a straw, and may refer to the wooden plectrum traditionally used for playing the oud, to the thin strips of wood used for the back, or to the wooden soundboard that distinguished it from similar instruments with skin-faced bodies. Recent research by Eckhard Neubauer suggests that oud may simply be an Arabic borrowing from the Persian name rud, which meant string, stringed instrument, or lute.

Mustafa Said is an Egyptian singer, musicologist, composer and a virtuoso Oud player. He has been living in Beirut since 2004. He is one of the few young talents to devote his career to the classical Arabic repertoire while exploring new forms and new sounds.

Former professor at the House of Oud (Cairo), he extends his musical approach from the already existent musical traditions of the east Mediterranean region with the spirit of the two previous musical renaissances: that of the golden age of Abbasid music, and that of the second half of the 19th century. Inspired by the oriental traditional heritage, the compositions and forms of interpretation of Mustafa Said offer a very contemporary approach and place great emphasis on the instrumental and vocal improvisation (Taqsim).^{[unreliable source?]}

Said has composed music for several documentaries and drama and participated in many local and international festivals as a solo performer or as part of an ensemble: Institute of the Arab World (2007), Mugam Festival in Azerbaijan (2009), Songs of Peace and Réconciliation conference in Indonesia (2009), Sounds of Arabia Festival in Abu Dhabi (2010), toured in Japan where he performed 17 concerts and conferences (2010), Fes Festival of World Sacred Music (2010). Mustafa Saïd is also the founder of the Asil Oriental Ensemble and is a lecturer in traditional Arabic ensemble music at the Higher Institute of Music, Antonine University (Lebanon) since 2006.

Joseph Tawadros (born 1983, Cairo, Egypt) is an oud virtuoso from Australia.

Music scores composed for the following films: