Musa Cälil (also transliterated as Mussa Jalil, Mussa Djalil, Musa Dzhalil, Mussa Dschalil, Musa Dschälil, Musa Celil, Musa Çəlil Cyrillic: Муса Джалиль, Муса Җәлил) (1906--1944) was a Soviet Tatar poet.

Musa Cälil was born as Musa Mostafa ulı Cälilov /ja-lee-LOF/ on February 15, 1906, in the village of Mostafa in the Orenburg guberniya. He began to publish poems as a teenager and became a member of the Communist party. After studying literature in Moscow, he worked as a playwright at the Tatar State Opera in Kazan. In 1935, the first Russian translations of his poems were published. In 1940, he became the chairman of the Tatar Literary Association and to this day is regarded as one of the most important authors in the Tatar language. After Germany invasion of the USSR in June 1941, he was drafted and served as a political officer and war correspondent. In June of 1942, he was seriously wounded and captured. After a while, he joined the Wehrmacht propaganda unit for the Legion İdel-Ural which consisted mainly of Tatars and Bashkirs under the false name Ğömärov /gher-ma-RROF/. There Musa organized a secret group which undertook various sabotage and subversive activities against Germans.

In August of 1943, he was arrested with his comrades and imprisoned to Moabit prison in Berlin. On February 12, 1944, he was sentenced to death, and on August 25, 1944, he was murdered in Plötzensee /PLER-tsen-ze-eh/.

With his patriotic poetry he strengthened his compatriots' will to resist the Nazists. His writings were preserved by Tatars Ğabbas Şäripov /ghahb-BAHS shah-ree-POF/, Niğmät Teregulov /neegh-MAHT te-re-goo-LOF/ and a Belgian André Timmermans and published later as two books under the title (Moabit Däftäre , Moabit Notebook). The origins are preserved at the National Museum of Tatarstan, handed over by poet's widow Äminä Zälälova /a-mee-NA za-la-loh-VAH/.

Writings: İptäşkä (To Comrade) (1929.), Ordenlı millionnar (The Millions Decorated with Orders) (1934.), Xat taşuçı (Postman) (1940.) poem, Altınçäç (1935.-1941.), İldar (1940.) opera libretto, Tupçı antı (The Oath of Artilleryman) (1943.)