Farrukhsiyar receiving Husain Ali Khan ca

''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...

through his grandsons,

Hasan ibn Ali Hasan ibn Ali ( ar, الحسن بن علي, translit=Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī; ) was a prominent early Islamic figure. He was the eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ...

and

Husayn ibn Ali Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...

, sons of Muhammad's daughter

Fatima Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, th ...

and his cousin and son-in-law

Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

(Ali ibn Abi Talib). While in the early islamic period the title Al-Sayyid was applied on all the members of the of

banu hashim ) , type = Qurayshi Arab clan , image = , alt = , caption = , nisba = al-Hashimi , location = Mecca, Hejaz Middle East, North Africa, Horn of Africa , descended = Hashim ibn Abd Manaf , parent_tribe = Qu ...

, the tribe of Muhammad. But later on the title was made specific to those of

Hasani Hassan or Hasan is an Arabic, Irish, Scottish, or Jewish (Sephardic and Mizrahic) surname. Etymology and spelling There are several unrelated origins for this surname: * In Arabic, Hassan is a transliteration of two names that both derive f ...

and Hussaini descent, Primarily by the

Fatimid Caliphs This is a list of an Arab dynasty, the Shi'ite caliphs of the Fatimid dynasty (909–1171). The Shi'ite caliphs were also regarded at the same time as the imams of the Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam. Family tree of Fatimid caliphs ...

. Female ''sayyids'' are given the titles ''sayyida'', ''syeda'', ''alawiyah'' . In some regions of the

Islamic world The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. In ...

, such as in Iraq, the descendants of Muhammad are given the title ''

amīr Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremo ...

'' or ''mīr'', meaning "aristocrats", "commander", or "ruler". In

Shia Islam Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, m ...

the son of a non Sayyid father and a Sayyida mother claim the title

Mirza Mirza may refer to: * Mirza, Kamrup, town in Assam, India * Mirza (name), historical royal title & noble * ''Mirza'', the genus of giant mouse lemur * "Mirza", song by Nino Ferrer * ''Mirza – The Untold Story'', Punjabi action romance film wri ...

. In

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...

a person being a descendant of Muhammad, of either maternal or paternal descent, can claim the title of ''Sayyid'' only by fulfilling special requirements that are mostly based on the claimant's demonstrated knowledge of the Quran under the assessment of a Naqib al-Ashraf.Tazkare Khanwade Hazrat Ishaan, p. 61, by Muhammad Yasin Qaswari Naqshbandi, published by Kooperatis Lahorin, Edare Talimat Naqshbandiyya The current Naqib ul Ashraf of the Qadiriyya wa Naqshbandiyya is the 54th Imam of the Tariqa, descending from Bahauddin Naqshband by blood through the Naqib and

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

Sayyid Mir Fazlullah Agha, known as Imam Al- Rafi Ishaan. A few Arabic language experts state that it has its roots in the word ''al-asad'' , meaning "lion", probably because of the qualities of valour and leadership. The word is derived from the verb sāda, meaning to rule. The surname seyyid/sayyid (pl. sâda as in sādat Quraysh or the chiefs of Quraysh tribe) existed before Islam. Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic defines seyyid as master, chief, sovereign, or lord. It also denotes someone respected and of high status. Although reliable statistics are unavailable, conservative estimates put the number of Sayyids in the tens of thousands. In the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

, ''sayyid'' is the equivalent of the English word "

liege lord Homage (from Medieval Latin , lit. "pertaining to a man") in the Middle Ages was the ceremony in which a feudal tenant or vassal pledged reverence and submission to his feudal lord, receiving in exchange the symbolic title to his new position (inv ...

" or "master" when referring to a descendant of Muhammad, as in ''Sayyid Ali Sultan.'' The word '' saeed'' (from the contracted form ''sayyidī'', "my liege") is often used in Arabic.People of India by Herbert Risely

History

The Sayyids are by definition a branch of

Banu Hashim ) , type = Qurayshi Arab clan , image = , alt = , caption = , nisba = al-Hashimi , location = Mecca, Hejaz Middle East, North Africa, Horn of Africa , descended = Hashim ibn Abd Manaf , parent_tribe = Qu ...

, which according to tradition traces its lineage to Adnan, and therefore directly descends from

Ishmael Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...

( Ismaeyl), and collaterally descends from his paternal half-brother

Isaac Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was the ...

( Ishaaq), the sons of

Abraham Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

(

Ibrahim Ibrahim ( ar, إبراهيم, links=no ') is the Arabic name for Abraham, a Biblical patriarch and prophet in Islam. For the Islamic view of Ibrahim, see Abraham in Islam. Ibrahim may also refer to: * Ibrahim (name), a name (and list of people ...

) . The descent of Banu Hashim through an ancestor called Adnan to the legendary Ishmael and Abraham are traditional and religious beliefs, not historical facts. Banū Hāshim (Arabic: بنو هاشم) is the clan of Muhammad, whose great-grandfather was Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, for whom the clan is named. Members of this clan are referred to as Hashemites. Descendants of Muhammad usually carry the titles ''Sayyid'', ''Syed'', ''

Hashmi Al-Hashimi, also transliterated Al-Hashemi ( ar, الهاشمي), Hashemi, Hashimi or Hashmi ( fa, هاشمی) is an Arabic, Arabian, and Persian surname.Sharif'', or the Ashraf clan (synonymous to Ahl al-Bayt) . Today, two sovereign monarchs –

Abdullah II of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein ( ar, عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين , translit=ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of t ...

and Mohammed VI of Morocco – and the former royal family of Libya are also considered to be a part of Banu Hashim . The Hashemites (Arabic: الهاشميون, Al-Hāshimīyūn; also House of Hashim) are the ruling royal family of Jordan. The House was also the royal family of Syria (1920), Hejaz (1916–1925) and Iraq (1921–1958). The family belongs to the Dhawu Awn, one of the branches of the Hasanid Sharifs of Mecca – also known as Hashemites – who ruled Mecca continuously from the 10th century until its conquest by the House of Saud in 1924. Their eponymous ancestor is Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, great-grandfather of Muhammad. Traditionally,

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

has had a rich history of the veneration of

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

, especially of those attributed to

. The most genuine prophetic relics are believed to be those housed in the ''Hirkai Serif Odasi'' (Chamber of the Holy Mantle) in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace ( tr, Topkapı Sarayı; ota, طوپقپو سرايى, ṭopḳapu sarāyı, lit=cannon gate palace), or the Seraglio A seraglio, serail, seray or saray (from fa, سرای, sarāy, palace, via Turkish and Italian) i ...

Indication of descent

In the early period, other than general usage, the Arabs also allowed the terms ''Sayyid'' to descendants from both

and

. .Encyclopaedic Ethnography of Middle-East and Central Asia: A-I, Volume 1
edited by R. Khanam

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

Sayyid scholars wear black turbans, while non-Sayyid Shia scholars wear other colors (most commonly white).

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Islamic Names: An Introduction
By Annemarie Schimmel. The descendants of Ali and his other wives are called ''Alevi sayyid''; they are titled Shah, Sain, Miya Fakir or Dewan. Those ''Sayyids'' who are Shia often include the following titles in their names to indicate the figure from whom they trace their descent: Note: (For non-Arabic speakers) When transliterating Arabic words into English there are two approaches. * 1. The user may transliterate the word letter for letter (e.g., "الزيدي" becomes "a-l-z-ai-d-i"). * 2. The user may transcribe the pronunciation of the word (e.g., "الزيدي" becomes "a-zz-ai-d-i"); in Arabic grammar, some consonants (''n, r, s, sh, t'' and ''z'') cancel the ''l'' (ل) from the word "the" ''al'' (ال) (see sun and moon letters). When the user sees the prefixes ''an'', ''ar'', ''as'', ''ash'', ''at'', ''az'', etc... this means the word is the transcription of the pronunciation. * An ''i'', ''wi'' (Arabic), or ''i'', ''vi'' (Persian) ending could perhaps be translated by the English suffixes ''-ite'' or ''-ian''. The suffix transforms a personal name or place name into the name of a group of people connected by lineage or place of birth. Hence ''Ahmad al-Hassani'' could be translated as ''Ahmad, the descendant of Hassan'', and ''Ahmad al-Manami'' as ''Ahmad from the city of

Manama Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...

''. For further explanation, see

Arabic name Arabic language names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from the Arabic-speaking and also Muslim countries have not had given/ middle/family names but rather a chain of names. This system remains in use throughout ...

s. ¹Also, El-Husseini, Al-Husseini, Husseini, and Hussaini. ²Those who use the term ''Sayyid'' for all descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib regard Allawis or Alavis as Sayyids. However, Allawis are not descendants of Muhammad, as they are descended from the children of Ali and the women he married after the death of Fatima, such as Umm ul-Banin (Fatima bint Hizam). Those who limit the term ''Sayyid'' to descendants of Muhammad through Fatima,

Allawi Alawi ( ar, علاوي) means "follower of Ali" or "descendant 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 cou ...

s/Alavis are the same how ''Sayyids''. Some Sayyids are ''Najeeb Al Tarfayn'', meaning "Noble on both sides", which indicates that both of their parents are Sayyid.

Existence of descendants of Hasan al-Askari

The existence of any descendant of

Hasan al Askari Hasan ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ( ar, الحَسَن بْن عَلِيّ بْن مُحَمَّدُ, translit=al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad; ), better known as Hasan al-Askari ( ar, الحَسَن ٱلْعَسْكَرِيّ , translit=al-Ḥa ...

is disputed by many people. Some genealogies of Middle Eastern and Central Asian families (mostly from Persia), East Africa (mostly in Somalia and Ethiopia), Khorasan, Samarqand, and Bukhara show that Hasan al-Askari had a second son called Sayyid Ali Akbar, which indicates that al-Askari had children and substantiates the existence of

Muhammad al Mahdi Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Mahdī ( ar, محمد بن الحسن المهدي) is believed by the Twelver Shia to be the last of the Twelve Imams and the eschatological Mahdi, who will emerge in the end of time to establish peace and justic ...

. Whether in fact al-Askari did have children is still disputed, perhaps because of the political conflicts between the followers of the Imamah and the leadership of the

Abbasids The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

and

Ghulat The ( ar, غلاة, 'exaggerators', 'extremists', 'transgressors', singular ) were a branch of early Shi'i Muslims thus named by other Shi'i and Sunni Muslims for their purportedly 'exaggerated' veneration of the prophet Muhammad (–632) and his ...

Shiites who do not believe in Hasan al-Askari's Imamah. Another group of historians studying the pedigrees of some Central Asian saints' ''shejere'' (genealogy trees) believe that the Twelfth Imam was not the only son of Hasan al-Askari, and that the Eleventh Imam had two sons: Sayyid Muhammad (i.e., the Shia Mahdi) and Sayyid Ali Akbar.page 41 "النجف الأشرف) السيد محمد مهدي ابن السيد محمد اصفهاني الموسوي الكاظمي "دوائر المعارف في الأسماء الحسنى) According to the earliest reports as from official family tree documents and records , Imam Hasan al-Askari fathered seven children and was survived by six. The names of his biological children were: Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, Musa, Ja’far, Ibrahim, Fatima, Ayesha, and

‘Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

, sometimes referred to as Akbar, Asghar or Abdullah. Sayyid ‘Ali Akbar bin Imam Hasan al-Askari is Sultan Saadat (Sodot) who died in Termez. His burial place is located in the main mausoleum

Sultan Saodat Sultan Saodat is a complex of religious structures located on the outskirts of modern Termez, in Uzbekistan. The complex of Sultan Saodat, which was formed between the 10th and 17th centuries, holds the graves of the influential Sayyid dynasty ...

memorial complex in Termez. According to other old genealogical sources Sayyid Ali was the second son of Sayyid Imam Muhammad al Askari who is considered the elder brother of imam

Hasan al-Askari Hasan ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ( ar, الحَسَن بْن عَلِيّ بْن مُحَمَّدُ, translit=al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad; ), better known as Hasan al-Askari ( ar, الحَسَن ٱلْعَسْكَرِيّ , translit=al-Ḥa ...

These Central Asian notable ''sayyid'' families have historical genealogical manuscripts that are confirmed with seals by many Naqibs, Muftis, Imams, Kadi Kuzzats, A’lams, Khans, and Emirs of those times. One descendant of Sayyid Ali Akbar was Saint Ishan (Eshon) Imlo of Bukhara. Ishan Imlo is called "saint of the last time" in Bukhara,https://shajara.org/2020/06/29/%d1%8d%d1%88%d0%be%d0%bd-%d0%b8%d0%bc%d0%bb%d0%be-%d0%b1%d1%83%d1%85%d0%be%d1%80%d0%b8%d0%b9-%d2%b3%d0%b0%d0%b7%d1%80%d0%b0%d1%82%d0%bb%d0%b0%d1%80%d0%b8%d0%bd%d0%b8%d0%bd%d0%b3-%d1%88%d0%b0%d0%b6/ Эшон Имло Бухорий ҳазратларининг шажараси ҳақида as it is believed that after him there were no more saintsAsian Muslims generally revere him as the last of the saints. According to the source, Ishan Imlo died in 1162AH (1748–1749); his mausoleum (mazar) is in a cemetery in Bukhara. Notable descendants of Sayyid Ali Akbar are Sufi saints like Bahauddin Naqshband,https://shajara.org/2020/06/29/naqshbandiya-shajarasi-izidan/ NAQSHBANDİYA SHAJARASİ İZİDAN descendant after eleven generations; Khwaja Khawand Mahmud known as Hazrat Ishaan, descendant after eighteen generations; the two brothers Sayyid ul Sadaat Sayyid Mir Jan and Sayyid ul Sadaat Mir Sayyid Mahmud Agha, maternal descendants of Hasan al Askari; ''

qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

'' Qozi Sayyid Bahodirxon; and Sufi saints

Tajuddin Muhammad Badruddin Taj al-Din ( ar, تاج الدين ) may refer to: Politicians and religious leaders * Cheraman Perumal Tajuddin ( 7th century)- First Hindu to convert to Islam and possibly only companion of the Prophet Muhammad from India *Al-Shahrastani or in ...

and Pir Baba. In her book ''Pain and Grace: A Study of Two Mystical Writers of Eighteenth-Century Muslim India'', Dr.

Annemarie Schimmel Annemarie Schimmel (7 April 1922 – 26 January 2003) was an influential German Orientalist and scholar who wrote extensively on Islam, especially Sufism. She was a professor at Harvard University from 1967 to 1992. Early life and education ...

writes: Although Shiite historians generally reject the claim that Hasan al-Askari fathered children other than Muhammad al-Mahdi, Bab Mawlid Abi Muhammad al-Hasan writes, in the Shiite hadith book '' Usul al-Kafi'':

Africa

Muslim historians claimed that three of the descendants of Ali ibn Abu Talib migrated into Somalia and Ethiopia. The two Ashrafs migrated to Ethiopia and the remaining sayyid settled in Somalia.

Ethiopia

Muslim historians and geologists claimed that one of the Ashrafs called Hajji Ali migrated into southern part of Ethiopia. After he migrated there, he had a son and named him Gan-Silte. His children then called by their father's name "Silte". according to the Silte tribesmen, the father of Hajji Aliyye (Hajji Ali) was Hajji Omar bin Osman, who was an Arab. He used to live in

Hejaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provin ...

, now part of Saudi Arabia. He migrated to Harar first, then settled in the southern part of Omnan which is now a part of Silte.

Middle East

Men belonging to the ''Sayyid'' families or tribes in the Arab world used to wear white or ivory coloured daggers like

jambiya A jambiya, also spelled janbiya, jambya, jambia and janbia ( ar, جنۢبية ''janbīyah''), is a specific type of dagger with a short curved blade with a medial ridge that originated from the Hadhramaut region of Yemen. They have spread all ov ...

khanjar A ''khanjar'' ( ar, خنجر, ku, Xencer, bn, খঞ্জর, khôñjôr tr, Hançer, fa, خنجر, ur, خنجر, sh, Handžar) is a traditional dagger originating from Oman, although it has since spread to the rest of the Middle East ...

s or shibriyas to demarcate their nobility amongst other Arab men, although this custom has been restricted due to the local laws of the variously divided Arab countries.

Iraq

The ''Sayyid'' families in Iraq are so numerous that there are books written especially to list the families and connect their trees. Some of these families are: the Alyassiri, Al Aqeeqi, Al-Nasrullah, Al-Wahab,

Al-Hashimi Al-Hashimi, also transliterated Al-Hashemi ( ar, الهاشمي), Hashemi, Hashimi or Hashmi ( fa, هاشمی) is an Arabic, Arabian, and Persian surname.Quraishi, Al-Marashi, Al-Witry,

Al-Obaidi Al-Obaidi ( ar, العبيد, Al-Ubaidi or Al-Obeidi) is one of the Arab tribes in Iraq settled around Al Jazira, Mesopotamia. It hails from the tribe of Zubaid, which itself is an offshoot of the ancient Yemenite tribe Madh'hij. The tribe was an i ...

, Al-Samarai,

Al-Zaidi The surname Al-Zaidi (Az-Zaidi) can denote one or both of the following: *Sayyid Arab descendants of Zayd ibn Ali that either stayed in Kufa, Iraq or returned to Al-Hijaz. *The use of the surname Al-Zaidi to designate association may be with the ...

, Al-A'araji, Al-Baka, Al-

, Al-

Hussaini Husseini (also spelled Hussaini, Husaini, Hecini, Hosseini , Houssaini or Husayni, ar, حسیني) is an Arabic surname. Etymology It is a nisba derivation of the given name Hussein or Husain from the name of Imam Husain ibn Ali. People with the ...

, Al-

Shahristani Hussain Ibrahim Saleh al-Shahristani (born 1942) is an Iraqi politician who served in different cabinet posts, including as Iraq's Minister of Higher Education. Early life and education al-Shahristani was born in 1942 in Karbala, Iraq. He hails ...

, Al-Qazwini Al-

Qadri The Qadiriyya (), also transliterated Qādirīyah, ''Qadri'', ''Qadriya'', ''Kadri'', ''Elkadri'', ''Elkadry'', ''Aladray'', ''Alkadrie'', ''Adray'', ''Kadray'', ''Kadiri'', ''Qadiri'', ''Quadri'' or ''Qadri'' are members of the Sunni Qadiri ta ...

Tabatabaei Tabatabaei ( ar, طباطبائي, ''Ṭabāṭabāʾī''; fa, طباطبایی, ''Ṭabâṭabâyī'') (also spelled Tabatabai, Tabatabaee, Tabatabaie, Tabatabaeyan) is a surname of Iranian/ Persian origin Arabic family name (Tabataba’i), an ad ...

, Al- Alawi, Al-Ghawalib (Al-Ghalibi),

Al-Musawi Al-Musawi ( ar, الموسوي, ) is a surname that indicates a person comes from a prestigious and highly respected Arabian family descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through al-Imam Musa al-Kadhim ibn Jafar as-Sadiq (7th Shi'a Imam). Fa ...

, Al-Awadi (not to be confused with the Al-Awadhi

Huwala Huwala ( ar, الهولة, sing. Huwali هولي) also collectively referred to as Bani Huwala, is a blanket term usually used to refer to Iranian Arabs who originate from the Arabian Peninsula, initially migrating in the 13th and 14th century fro ...

family), Al-Gharawi, Al-Sabzewari, Al-Shubber, Al-Hayali, Al-Kamaludeen and many others.

Iran

''Sayyids'' (in fa, سید ''Seyyed'') are found in vast numbers in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. The Chief of "National Organization for Civil Registration" of Iran declared that more than 1 million of Iranians are ''Sayyid''. The majority of ''Sayyids'' migrated to Iran from Arab lands predominantly in the 15th to 17th centuries during the

Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

era. The Safavids transformed the religious landscape of Iran by imposing

Twelver Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...

Shiism on the populace. Since most of the population embraced Sunni Islam, and an educated version of Shiism was scarce in Iran at the time, Ismail imported a new group of Shia ''

Ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

'' who predominantly were Sayyids from traditional Shiite centers of the Arabic-speaking lands, such as

Jabal Amel Jabal Amil ( ar, جبل عامل, Jabal ʿĀmil), also spelled Jabal Amel and historically known as Jabal Amila, is a cultural and geographic region in Southern Lebanon largely associated with its long-established, predominantly Twelver Shia Musl ...

(of southern Lebanon),

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

, and southern Iraq in order to create a state clergy. The Safavids offered them land and money in return for loyalty.The failure of political Islam, by Olivier Roy, Carol Volk, pg.170The Cambridge illustrated history of the Islamic world, by Francis Robinson, pg.72The Middle East and Islamic world reader, by Marvin E. Gettleman, Stuart Schaar, pg.42The Encyclopedia of world history: ancient, medieval, and modern ... by Peter N. Stearns, William Leonard Langer, pg.360 These scholars taught Twelver Shiism, made it accessible to the population, and energetically encouraged conversion to Shiism. During the reign of

Shah Abbas the Great Abbas I ( fa, ; 27 January 157119 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the 5th Safavid Shah (king) of Iran, and is generally considered one of the greatest rulers of Iranian history and the Safavid dynasty. He was the third son ...

, the Safavids also imported to Iran more Arab Shias, predominantly ''Sayyids'', built religious institutions for them, including many ''

Madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

s'' (religious schools), and successfully persuaded them to participate in the government, which they had shunned in the past (following the Hidden imam doctrine). Common ''Sayyid'' family surnames in Iran are

Husseini Husseini (also spelled Hussaini, Husaini, Hecini, Hosseini , Houssaini or Husayni, ar, حسیني) is an Arabic surname. Etymology It is a nisba derivation of the given name Hussein or Husain from the name of Imam Husain ibn Ali. People with the ...

, Mousavi, Kazemi, Razavi, Eshtehardian,

Hashemi Al-Hashimi, also transliterated Al-Hashemi ( ar, الهاشمي), Hashemi, Hashimi or Hashmi ( fa, هاشمی) is an Arabic, Arabian, and Persian surname.Hassani, Jafari, Emami, Ahmadi, Zaidi, Imamzadeh, Sherazi, Kermani (kirmani),

Shahidi Shahidi ( fa, شهیدی) is a common surname in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Like the given name Shahid, it is a Muslim theophoric name, from '' Aš-Šāhid'' (), one of the 99 names of God in the Qur'an. It is derived from ''šāhid '', t ...

, and

Mahdavi A Mahdavi is an adherent of Mahdavia, a Mahdi'ist Muslim denomination. It may also refer to: Places * Shahid Mahdavi Stadium, a stadium in Bushehr, Iran * Shahrak-e Mahdavi, a village in Fars, Iran People An Iranian surname: * Ahmad Mahdavi Damg ...

Bahrain

''Sayyids'' are used to refer to great-grandchildren of Muhammed. ''Sayyids'' are funded every where and in vast populations although number are contradicted. ''Sayyids'' started living in

since the beging of the 8th century. The Bahrainis spurted, Imam Ali in his wars in the

Camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...

Siffin The Battle of Siffin was fought in 657 CE (37 AH) between Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth of the Rashidun Caliphs and the first Shia Imam, and Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, the rebellious governor of Syria. The battle is named after its location Si ...

and

Nahrawan The Nahrevan Canal (Persian: کانال نرهوان) was a major irrigation system of the Sassanid and early Islamic periods in central Iraq, along the eastern banks of the Tigris and the lower course of the Diyala River. Created in the 6th centu ...

, and several Bahraini men emerged from the leaders of the Commander of the Faithful including the companion

Zayd ibn Suhan Zayd ibn Suhan ( ar, زيد بن صوحان) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and is revered by Shia Muslims. He was the brother of Sa'sa'a bin Sohan. He is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari. He was killed in the Battle of the Camel ...

al-Abdi who was killed in the

Battle of the Camel The Battle of the Camel, also known as the Battle of Jamel or the Battle of Basra, took place outside of Basra, Iraq, in 36 AH (656 CE). The battle was fought between the army of the fourth caliph Ali, on one side, and the rebel army led by ...

when he was fighting alongside the Commander of Imam Ali. And the companion

Sa'sa'a bin Sohan Ṣa‘ṣa‘ah ibn Suhān ( ar, صعصعة بن صوحان) was born in the year 598 CE, corresponding to about 24 years before Hijra in Qatif, Saudi Arabia. He was a companion of ‘Alī and is revered by the Shia. He belonged to the tribe of ...

Al Abdi who was the ambassador of the Commander of the Faithful to

Mu`awiyah Mu'awiya I ( ar, معاوية بن أبي سفيان, Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān; –April 680) was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 661 until his death. He became caliph less than thirty years after the deat ...

, and he and

have many stories that historians have transmitted to us. Historians have called them this title because they agreed on a Thursday that they would die for the sake of the Commander of the Faithful. The tomb of

is still visited in

and is called by Bahrainis as Prince Zaid, as well as the tomb of the great companion

Al Abdi who is buried in

Oman

In Oman, ''Sayyid'' is used by members of the

Al Said The House of Busaid (, ), also known as Al Said dynasty, is the current ruling royal house of the Oman, and former ruling royal house of the Omani Empire (from 1744 to 1856), Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (1856 to 1970) and the Sultanate of Za ...

ruling royal family. The absolute ruler of the country retains the title

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

with members of the royal family eligible for succession to the throne given the title

Sheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

, these may also use the title Sayyid should they wish to, although as Sheikh supersedes this, it is not a widely used practice. Members of the extended family or members by marriage carry the title ''Sayyid'' or ''Sayyida'' for a female. Such titles in

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

are hereditary through paternal lineage or in some exceptional circumstances, such as an honorary title given by royal decree. Members of the

family use the term Sayyid solely as a title and not as a means of indicating descent, as the Al Said royal family does not descend from

or from Imam Ali and instead descends from the

Qahtanite The terms Qahtanite and Qahtani ( ar, قَحْطَانِي; Arabic transliteration, transliterated: Qaḥṭānī) refer to Arab people, Arabs who originate from South Arabia. The term "Qahtan" is mentioned in multiple ancient Arabian inscriptio ...

Zahran tribe.

Yemen

In Yemen the ''Sayyids'' are more generally known as ''sadah''; they are also referred to as '' Hashemites''. In terms of religious practice they are

, and

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

. ''Sayyid'' families in

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

include the Rassids, the Qasimids, the Mutawakkilites, the Hamideddins, some Al-Zaidi of

Ma'rib Marib ( ar, مَأْرِب, Maʾrib; Old South Arabian: 𐩣𐩧𐩨/𐩣𐩧𐩺𐩨 ''Mryb/Mrb'') is the capital city of Marib Governorate, Yemen. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of ''Sabaʾ'' ( ar, سَبَأ), which some scholars ...

, Sana'a, and Sa'dah, the Ba 'Alawi sada families in Hadhramaut, Mufadhal of

Sana'a Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...

, Al-Shammam of Sa'dah, the Sufyan of Juban, and the Al-Jaylani of Juban.

Libya

The ''Sayyids'' in Libya are Sunni, including the former royal family, which is originally Zaidi-Moroccan (also known as the

Senussi The Senusiyya, Senussi or Sanusi ( ar, السنوسية ''as-Sanūssiyya'') are a Muslim political-religious tariqa (Sufi order) and clan in colonial Libya and the Sudan region founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Senussi ( ar, السنوسي ...

family). The El-Barassa Family are ''Ashraf'' as claimed by the sons of Abdulsalam ben Meshish, a descendant of Hassan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib.

South Asia

Although people in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

claim Hashemite descent, genealogy family trees are studied to authenticate claims. In 1901 the total number of Sayyids in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

was counted as 100.

History of South Asian ''Sayyids''

''Sayyids'' migrated many centuries ago from different parts of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

(

Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turke ...

) during the invasion of the

Mongols The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal membe ...

, Ghaznavid dynasty,

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

, and

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, encompassing a timespan of roughly until the late 19th century. ''Sayyids'' migrated to

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, Uch, Bihar Sharif, Sheikhpura , and

Attock Khurd Attock Khurd ( ur, ; ''"''Little Attock''"'') is a small town located beside the Indus River in the Attock District of Punjab Province in Pakistan. Khurd and Kalan are Persian words, themselves derived from Sanskrit (''Kshudra'' means "small ...

(Punjab) and settled there very early. Other early migrant ''Sayyids'' moved deep into the south to the

Deccan sultanates The Deccan sultanates were five Islamic late-medieval Indian kingdoms—on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range—that were ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. Th ...

located in the

Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

region in the time of the

Bahmani Sultanate The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,

, and later

Golkonda Fort (Telugu: గోల్కొండ, romanized: ''Gōlkōnḍa'') is a historic fortress and ruined city located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was originally called Mankal. The fort was originally built by Kakatiya ruler Pratāparud ...

, Nizam Shahi of

Ahmednagar Ahmednagar (), is a city located in the Ahmednagar district in the state of Maharashtra, India, about 120 km northeast of Pune and 114 km from Aurangabad. Ahmednagar takes its name from Ahmad Nizam Shah I, who founded the town in 1494 ...

Bijapur Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural ...

, Bidar, and Berar. Several visited India as merchants or escaped from the

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

and

. Their names appear in Indian history at the dissolution of the Mughal Empire, when the Sayyid brothers created and dethroned emperors at their will (1714–1720). The first

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s appointed to the

Council of India The Council of India was the name given at different times to two separate bodies associated with British rule in India. The original Council of India was established by the Charter Act of 1833 as a council of four formal advisors to the Governor ...

and the first appointed to the

privy council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

were both ''Sayyids''.Descendants of Prophet Muhammad in India
By K D L Khan, Published on: 14 January 2012

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan,

Sayyids ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...

(Sadat) are recognized as an ethnic group. On 13 March 2019, addressing the Sadat gathering at the presidential palace (Arg), President Ashraf Ghani said that he will issue a decree on the inclusion of Sadat ethnic group in new electronic national identity card (e-NIC). President Ashraf Ghani decreed mentioning 'Sadat tribe' in the electronic national identity on 15 March 2019. Sayyids of the north are generally located in

Balkh ), named for its green-tiled ''Gonbad'' ( prs, گُنبَد, dome), in July 2001 , pushpin_map=Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_relief=yes , pushpin_label_position=bottom , pushpin_mapsize=300 , pushpin_map_caption=Location in Afghanistan ...

and Kunduz; while in the east they can be found in Nangarhar. While most are Sunni Muslims, some in the

Bamiyan Bamyan or Bamyan Valley (); ( prs, بامیان) also spelled Bamiyan or Bamian is the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. Its population of approximately 70,000 people makes it the largest city in Hazarajat. Bamyan is at an alti ...

province are to Shi'a.

India

The total ''Sayyid'' population in India is 7,017,000, with the largest populations in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

(1,493,000),

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

(1,108,000),

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

(766,000),

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

(727,000),

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

(497,000),

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

(419,000),

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

(372,000),

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

(307,000),

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

(245,000),

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

(206,000), and 25,000 in

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

. ''Sayyids'' are also found in the north-eastern state of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

, where they are locally also referred to as ''Dawans''. In India, ''Sayyids'' of Hadramawt (who originated mainly from the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...

and the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

) gained widespread fame. There is a big community of ''Sayyids'' settled in and around the Nanganallur region in Chennai that trace their ancestry directly to the ''Sayyids'' of Iraq. Traditional ''Sayyid'' families rarely marry outside their community, and emphasise marrying into ''Najeeb Altarfain'' (of ''Sayyid'' descent from both the mother's and father's side) families. This insistence on endogamy has begun to decline among the more urbanized families, with an increase in exogamy with other groups such as the Shaikh and Mughals.People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Three edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1246 to 1254 Manohar Publications Historically, the ''Sayyids'' of Uttar Pradesh were substantial landowners, often absentees, and this was especially the case with the Awadh

taluqdar Taluqdars or Talukdar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: ; Perso-Arabic: , ; from ''taluq'' "estate/attachment" + '' dar'' "owner"), were aristocrats who formed the ruling class during the Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate, Mughal Empire and British Raj ...

s. In the urban townships, ''Sayyid'' families served as priests, teachers, and administrators with the British colonial authorities given the community a preference in recruitment. Though they account for less than 3% of Muslim population, they control a majority of economic resources. The community also has a very high literacy rate. The independence and

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

in 1947 was traumatic for the community, with many families becoming divided and some moving to Pakistan. This was followed by the abolition of the

zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...

i system, where land was redistributed to those who till the land. Many ''Sayyids'' who remained on the land are now medium and small scale farmers, while in urban areas, there has been a shift towards modern occupations. The ''Sayyids'' of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

belong to the ''Hasani'' (descendants of Hasan), ''Husaini'' (descendants of Husayn), ''Zaidi'' (descendants of Zayd ibn Ali, grandson of Husayn), Rizvi, (descendants of Ali al-Ridha), and ''Naqvi'' and their sub-caste Bukhari (descendants of Ali al-Hadi).

North India

The earliest migration of ''Sayyids'' from Afghanistan to

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

took place in 1032 when

Gazi Saiyyed Salar Sahu Ghazi Saiyyed Salar Sahu or Saiyed Salar Dawood or Sahu Bin Ataullah Alavi or Salar Sahu ( fa, غازى سيد سالار ساھو) was commander in the army of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi who came to the Indian subcontinent in the early 11th century. ...

(general and brother-in-law of

Mahmud of Ghazni Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At th ...

) and his son

Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud Ghazi Salar Masud or Ghazi Miyan (1014 – 1034 CE) was a semi-legendary Muslim figure from India. By the 12th century, he had become reputed as a warrior, and his tomb (''dargah'') at Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India, had become a place of pilgrima ...

established their military headquarters at

Satrikh Satrikh is a town and a nagar panchayat in Barabanki district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Satrikh is also known as Sulaimanabad after the name of Saiyed Salar Sulaiman, the nephew of Ghazi Saiyed Salar Dawood. Geography Demographics ...

( from

Zaidpur Zaidpur is a town and a nagar panchayat in Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Geography Zaidpur village covers approximately 3 km2 of non-mountainous terrain. Location Zaidpur lies at in India's north east. Its nearest servic ...

) in the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. They are considered to be the first Muslim settlers in North India. In 1033 Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud was killed at the battle of Bahraich, the location of his '' mazr''. Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud had no children. His parental uncle Syed Maroofuddin Ghazi and his family lived in

Tijara Tijara is a city and a municipality in Alwar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Tijara comes under the NCR area and is situated 48 km to the northeast of Alwar. The nearest railway station to Tijara is Khairthal. Bhiwadi is a census ...

until 1857 before they migrated to Bhopal.

Syed Ahmed Rizvi Kashmiri Ayatollah Aqa Syed Ahmed Rizvi or Razavi (1316–1384 in Hijri) (Urdu; آیت اللہ آقا سید احمد رضوی کشمیری) was a Shiite Islamic jurist, religious reformer, and scholar who lived in Srinagar city of Kashmir. Hakim ...

and Khan Bahadur Aga Syed Hussain were both

Rizvi Rizvi or Rizavi or رضوی is the Urdu form of the Arabic surname Radawi/Radhawi and the Persian surname Razavi. It is a surname commonly associated with Muslims, who claim descent from the Imam Ali al-Ridha, a descendant of the Islamic prophet M ...

''Sayyids'' through Aaqa Meer Sayyid Hussain Qomi Rizvi, whose sacred shrine is in the Zainageer Village of Sopore,

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. Iraqi ''Sayyids'' or

Iraqi biradri Iraqi Biradri is a Sunni Muslim caste found chiefly in Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Ballia, Deoria and Gorakhpur districts of the eastern Uttar Pradesh in India. Iraqi Biradri is also referred to as Iraqi Shaikh. History and origin Iraqi biradri is a desc ...

in Eastern Uttar Pradesh are descendants of ''Sayyid'' Masud Al Hussaini who was the direct descendant of Muhammad's grandson Hussain ibn Ali and came to India from Iraq during the reign of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1330 A.D. He settled with his seven sons and forty champions in Ghazipur (U.P.) as some of them (i.e., Syed Abu Bakr in Nonahra, Ghazipur) converted to Sunni Islam in the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Lodhi around 1517. His Shia descendants are now known as ''Sayyids'' of Ghazipur. ''Sayyids'' of Syed nagli, or Said Nagli, or the Baquari Syeds had migrated from Termez (Present day Uzbekistan) during the Sultanate era. Sikandar Lodi was the ruler of Delhi when Mir Syed Mohammad al Hussain al Hussaini al Termezi Haji al Haramain came to India and settled at

Syed Nagli Syed Nagli is a town in Amroha district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on State Highway 51, around 15 Km from Hasanpur and 19 Km from Sambhal. Syed Nagli has its own post office with PIN code 244242 and a police station. ...

. He was a Baquari Syed who drew his lineage from Muhammad al Baqir. Perhaps the most important figure in the history of the Sayyid in Uttar Pradesh was Sayyid Basrullah Shustari, who moved from

Mashad Mashhad ( fa, مشهد, Mašhad ), also spelled Mashad, is the second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. It serves as the capital of Razavi Khorasan Province and has a po ...

in 1549 and joined the court of the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

Emperor

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

. Akbar appointed Shustari as his chief justice, who used his position to strengthen the status of the various ''Sayyid'' families. They were preferred in administrative posts and formed a privileged elite. When the Mughal Empire disintegrated, the ''Sayyid'' played an important role in the turbulent politics of the time. The new British colonial authorities that replaced the Mughals after the

Battle of Buxar The Battle of Buxar was fought between 22 and 23 October 1764, between the forces under the command of the British East India Company, led by Hector Munro, and the combined armies of Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal till 1764; the Nawab of Awadh, Sh ...

made a pragmatic decision to work with the various ''Sayyid'' jagirdars. Several ''Sayyid''

s in Awadh were substantial landowners under the British colonial regime, and many other ''Sayyid'' contributed to state administration.People of India Uttar Pradesh Volume XLII Part Three, edited by A Hasan & J C Das After the abolition of the

i system, many ''Sayyid'' zamindars (e.g. that of Ghazipur) had to leave their homes.

=Uttar Pradesh

= The ancestor of the Bārha ''Sayyids'', Sayyid Abu'l Farah Al Hussaini Al Wasti, left his original home in

Wasit Wasit ( ar, وَاسِط, Wāsiṭ, syr, ‎ܘܐܣܛ) is an ancient city in Wasit Governorate, south east of Kut in eastern Iraq. History The city was built by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf in c. 702 CE on the west bank of the Tigris across from the hist ...

, Iraq, with his twelve sons at the end of the 13th century and migrated to India, where he obtained four villages in Sirhind-Fategarh. By the 16th century Abu'l Farah's descendants had taken over Bārha villages in

Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarnagar is a city under Muzaffarnagar District in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated midway on the Delhi - Haridwar/Dehradun National Highway (NH 58) and is also well connected with the national railway network. It is kno ...

. The Sayyeds of

Abdullapur Meerut Abdullapur is a settlement situated in the eastern outskirts of Meerut, just to the south of Ganga Nagar, Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also known as Abdullapur Sadaat. It was founded by Syed Mir Abdullah Naqvi Al Bukhari. Kot Kila ...

are descendants of great saint Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari. They had a large Jagirdara consisting of 52 villages.Abdullapur named after Syed Mir Abdulla Naqvi Al Bukhari, he built Kot Fort of this place in the 16th century, it was his main residence. Bukhari of Abdullapur are fractionate into Kannauji Bukhari and Jalal Bukhari. Kannauji's are descendants of Jalaludin Haider through Syed Mehboob Alam Naqvi-ul Bukhari Al-Maroof Shah Jewna or

Shah Jewna Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

son of warrior and chief advisor of Sikandar Lodi. Famous writer Syed Qudrat Naqvi Al Bukhari was born here later migrated to Pakistan after partition, his famous books are Ghalib kaun hai, Asaas-i-Urdu, Ghalib-i-sad rang, Seerat-un-Nabi, Hindi-Urdu lughat, Mutal'a-i-Abdul Haq, Lisani maqalaat. The ''Sayyids'' of Bilgram are Hussaini Sayyids, who first migrated from Wasit, Iraq, in the 13th century. Their ancestor, Syed Mohammad Sughra, a Zaidi ''Sayyid'' of Iraq, arrived in India during the rule of

Iltutmish. In 1217–18 the family conquered and settled in Bilgram. A notable Sufi that belonged to a ''Sayyid'' family was Syed Salar Masud, from whom many of the Sayyid families of Awadh claim their lineage. ''Sayyids'' of

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

(

Raebareli Raebareli is a city in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Raebareli district and a part of Lucknow Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Sai river, southeast of Lucknow. It possesses many arc ...

), Jarwal (Bahraich), Kintoor ( Barabanki), and Zaidpur (Barabanki) were well-known ''Taluqadars'' (feudal lords) of Awadh province. Sadaat also found in Kannauj trace their lineage from Husayn through Ali al-Hadi, a branch of Naqvi Bukhari. Famous Pir Syed Mehboob Alam Naqvi-ul Bukhari Al-Maroof

son of great warrior Syed Sadaruddin Shah Kabeer Naqvi (saint and also chief advisor) of Sikandar Lodi was also born in Kannauj and spent 66yrs of his life in kannauj later moved to

Shah Jeewna Shah Jeewna (or Jewna, Jiwana, Jewana) is a town of Jhang District in the Punjab, Pakistan. it is located on the Jhang- Lalian road at 31°31'13N 72°20'21E 34 km from Jhang. Shah Jeewna was named after Syed Mehboob Alam Naqvi-ul Bukhari Al-Maro ...

. Makhdoom Jahaniya Mosque is still present in Shikana,Kannauj. Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan was also from Kannauj, he is a Bukhari Naqvi Sayyed converted from Shi'a Islam to Sunni Islam in the early 1800s.

=Bihar

= There are different families of syeds in Bihar who belong to direct descendent of Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain. Mostly there are Hussaini (Rizvi, Zaidi, Baqri) along with Hasani (Malik , Quadri or Geelani). Sadaat are settle in different part of bihar including shia and sunni sects. They are mostly migrated to bihar from Iraq and Iran. Sufi Saint

Sharafuddin Maneri Makhdoom Sharfuddin Ahmed bin Yahya Maneri, popularly known as Makhdoom-ul-Mulk Bihari and Makhdoom-e-Jahan (1263–1381), was a 13th-century Sufi mystic. Early life Sheikh Sharfuddin Ahmed was born on July 1264 A.D. (Sha'aban 661 A.H.) at M ...

belongs to Banu hashim family of Imam Taj Faqih Rh. In Bihar, Sayyids were landlords, judges, barristers, intellectuals, civil servant, clerics, teachers, businessmen and farmers. Sufi Saint and a worrior

Malik Ibrahim Bayu Mallick Ibrahim Bayu was a legendary Sufi saint-warrior who arrived in South Bihar in the 14th century and defeated the tribal Kol chiefdoms who had been oppressing the local Muslims. He also defeated Raja Birthal and became first Muslim conqueror ...

who conquered Bihar during the time of tughlaq is one the most famous personality in bihar. Bihar's first prime minister Mohammad Yunus Nobel prize nominee and Padma shri winner

Syed Hassan (educationist) Syed Hasan (1924-2016), popularly known as Syed Bhai ranslates to Brother Syed in English was an Indian educationist, humanist and the founder of INSAN Group of Institutions, mostly known for one of its founding organization, ''INSAN School''. ...

, Political Scientist

Abu Bakr Ahmad Haleem Abu Bakr Ahmad Haleem (Urdu: ابو بكر احمد حليم; commonly known as A. B. A. Haleem) (1897 – 20 April 1975) was a Pakistani Mahajir (Pakistan), Muhajir political science, political scientist and the first Vice Chancellor, vic ...

was the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Aligarh University and Karachi University , The great

Abdul Bari (professor) Abdul Bari (1892–1947), also known as Acha Bacha, was a descendant of Syed Ibrahim Malik Baya, an Indian academic and social reformer. He sought to bring about social reform in Indian society by awakening people through education. He had a vi ...

Zaid Hamid Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid ( ur, ), better known as Zaid Hamid, is a Pakistani far-right, Islamist political commentator and conspiracy theorist. ''The Muslim 500'' included him in their yearly most influential Muslims in the world, as a polit ...

Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid is a Pakistani far-right, Islamist political commentator and was included in 500 most influential muslims in world and Brigadier Malik Mokhtar Karim are few names from Malik Sadaat of bihar. Zaidi Sadaat of Bihar are the descendants of Sufi saint Syed Ahmad Jajneri and Syed Mohammed Jajneri. Syed Ahmad Jajneri migrated to India from Baghdad during the reign of Muhammad of Ghor and later migrated to

. He was the direct descendant of

Zayd ibn Ali Zayd ibn Zayn al-Abidin ( ar, زيد بن زين العابدين; 695–740), also spelled Zaid, was the son of Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, and great-grandson of Ali ibn Abi Talib. He led an unsuccessful revolt against the Umayyad Calipha ...

who was the grandson of

and therefore his descendants are called

( Zaidi)Sadaat. His descendants are mostly settled in Bihar Sharif, Munger, Sheikhpura and

Jamui Jamui is a town and a municipality in Jamui district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the district headquarter of Jamui district. Jamui was formed as a district on 21 February 1991 as a result of its separation from Munger. It is part of Mun ...

region of Bihar. Most prominent personalities of Sadaat of Bihar were from

Desna, Bihar Desna is a very old village located on the banks of the River Jerain in Nalanda district of Bihar state in India. It is approximately 2 miles (1 Kos (unit), Kos) from Asthawan and 10 miles from Bihar Sharif. History Desna was a Saadat village. ...

. For Example

Syed Mohammed Saeed Raza Syed Mohammed Saeed Raza (1890 – 1963) was a Muslim professor and scholar. Early life and family Raza was born in Desna, Bihar, a village . He belonged to a family of scholars and well-educated landowners. His father, Hakim Syed Liaqat Hussia ...

Abdul Qavi Desnavi Abdul Qavi Desnavi (1 November 1930 – 7 July 2011) was an Indian Urdu language writer, critic, bibliographer and linguist. He wrote many books on Urdu literature. His works included about Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Mirza Ghalib and Allama Muha ...

and

Sulaiman Nadvi Syed Sulaiman Nadvi (—; 22 November 1884 – 22 November 1953) was a Pakistani historian, writer and scholar of Islam. He co-authored ''Sirat-un-Nabi'' and wrote ''Khutbat-e-Madras''. Desna's library, established in 1892, had thousands of old

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

, during uncertain times of mass emigration to Pakistan, the books were donated to Khuda Bakhsh Khan Library in Patna, where a Desna section was established to house these treasures. Other famous personalities of Bihari Syed were

Syed Sultan Ahmed Sir Syed Sultan Ahmed, KCSI (1880–1963, Patna, Bengal Presidency, British India) was an Indian barrister and politician who had a very successful practice as a barrister, having victories over Motilal Nehru, Tej Bahadur Sapru and Sarat Chandr ...

Syed Hasan Imam Syed Hasan Imam (31 August 1871 – 19 April 1933) was an Indian politician who served as the President of the Indian National Congress and was elected in September 1918.Muslim rulers of Gujarat to serve as advisers and administrators, and were granted ''

jagir A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...

s''. During the period of Sultan

Mahmud Begada Sultan Mahmud Begada or Mahmud Shah I (), was the most prominent Sultan of the Gujarat Sultanate. Raised to the throne at young age, he successfully captured Pavagadh and Junagadh forts in battles which gave him his name ''Begada''. He establishe ...

(1458–1511), the sultan provided land to three Sayyid brothers and a grant to settle there after the victory of

Pavagadh Pavagadh is an ancient Triassic Period location with Enriched History from periods of Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga. In present day, Pavagadh is a municipal operated region in Panchmahal district about away from Vadodara in Gujarat state in wes ...

Fort. In 1484 the sultan conquered the fort on 21 November 1484 and transferred his capital to

Champaner Champaner is a historical city in the state of Gujarat, in western India. It is located in Panchmahal district, 47 kilometres from the city of Vadodara. The city was briefly the capital of the Sultanate of Gujarat. History Champaner is named ...

, which he completely rebuilt at the foothills of the Pavagadh Fort and named it

Muhammadabad Mohammadabad is a town and a nagar panchayat in Farrukhabad district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Demographics India census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the membe ...

. During Mughal rule in Gujarat (1570–1750), the ''Sayyid'' held the majority of the civil and ecclesiastical posts. For example, the ''Sayyids'' of Thasra, Kheda district, were invited to serve as administrators and judges by the

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

, and were provided

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

s to settle there. They also comprised a significant portion of the Mughal army, and many are still found in old Muslim garrison towns like

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

. Many of the early Sufi saints that came to Gujarat belonged to ''Sayyid'' families, most of which came from Central Asia, Iran, Yemen,

, Basra, and Bahrain.Shajra-e-Nasab (Syed family tree) Sadat e Gothada -Jahidali J.Saiyad, Gothada

South India

=Kerala

= Thangals, a

social group In the social sciences, a social group can be defined as two or more people who interact with one another, share similar characteristics, and collectively have a sense of unity. Regardless, social groups come in a myriad of sizes and varieties ...

in among the Muslims of Kerala (most whom follow the

Shafi'i The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by ...

madhab), are roughly equivalent to the Sayyids. The thangal families are numerous in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Most members of the community practices endogamy and some are considered as saints. Thangal families have many gradations of status on social and economic scale. Influential of the thangals generally come from prominent business families. They usually exercise their influence through commerce and politics.

= Tamil Nadu

= There are a notable number of ''Sayyids'' in Tamil Nadu that mostly concentrate in the cities like Erwadi,

Nagore Nagore is a town in the Nagapattinam District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is located approximately 12 km North of Karaikal and 5 km South of Nagapattinam. Nearby towns are Karaikal, Tiruvarur, and Velankanni. It has a population of appr ...

Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...

, and Kayalpattinam. Badusha Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed of

Ervadi Erwadi is a village in Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu, a state in South India. It belongs to Kilakarai Taluk and town panchayat. The village is the location of the grave and shrine of Qutbus Sultan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed Badusha, the previou ...

, a Hussaini descendant of Mohammed and a ruler of Madinah, travelled to South India in the middle of the 12th century. His descendants who live in Ervadi with the clan name Levvai are from a single forefather and are ''Sayyids''. The heirs of Shahul Hamid Abdul Qadir badusha of

who live there and are called with clan name of Sahib or Saab or Saabu are ''Sayyids''. Kazi Syed Tajuddin the son of Mufti Jamaluddin al Ma'abari who founded the

Kazimar Big Mosque Kazimar Periya Pallivasal or Kazimar Big Mosque is the oldest mosque in Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India constructed in the year 1284AD (Hijri 683) and continues to be in existence for more than 7 centuries till today. The mosque was founded by ...

in the 13th century the first mosque in Madurai is a Hussaini descendant of Mohammed and hence belong to Syed family. Until recently, his descendants (Syeds-Qazis-Huqdars) lived in the same

Kazimar Street Kazimar Street is an ancient street in Madurai, India, dating from the 13th century. Kazi Syed Tajuddin is the one who settled here after preaching Islam in South India. 99.2% population of this street are Muslims and 0.8% Hindus. The famous ...

locality in the center of Madurai city for over seven centuries and managed the Kazimar Big Mosque constructed by their forefather. Syed Tajuddin's younger son Kazi Alauddin lived in Kayalpattinam and his shrine is found there.

Genetic studies of ''Sayyids'' of the Indian sub-continent

The authors of the study, the Y chromosomes of self-identified Syeds from the Indian sub-continent are no less diverse than those non-Syeds from the same regions'','' suggested that Syed status, rather than being strictly patrilineal, may have been passed through other routes. The paper, "Y chromosomes of self-identified Syeds from the Indian subcontinent''",'' by Elise M. S. Belle, Saima Shah,

Tudor Parfitt Tudor Parfitt (born 10 October 1944)
Encyclopedia.com is a British historian, wri ...

, and

Mark G. Thomas Mark G. Thomas (born 5 June 1964 on Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, England) is a human evolutionary geneticist, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at the Research Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London since ...

showed that "self-identified Syeds had no less genetic diversity than those non-Syeds from the same regions, suggesting that there is no biological basis to the belief that self-identified Syeds in this part of the world share a recent common ancestry. However, self-identified men belonging to the ‘Islamic honorific lineages’ (Syeds, Hashemites, Quraysh and Ansari) show a greater genetic affinity to Arab populations—despite the geographic distancethan do their neighbouring populations from South Asia. In Northern India, 29 per cent of the Shia Muslim belong to haplogroup J. There are 18 per cent belonging mainly to

haplogroup J2 In human genetics, Haplogroup J-M172 or J2 is a Y-chromosome haplogroup which is a subclade (branch) of haplogroup J-M304. Haplogroup J-M172 is common in modern populations in Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Europe, Northwestern Iran and ...

and another 11 per cent belong to

haplogroup J1 Haplogroup J-M267, also commonly known as Haplogroup J1, is a subclade (branch) of Y-DNA haplogroup J-P209 (commonly known as haplogroup J) along with its sibling clade haplogroup J-M172 (commonly known as haplogroup J2). (All these haplogr ...

, which both represent Middle Eastern lineages. J1 is exclusively Near Eastern.

Southeast Asia

Most of the Alawi ''Sayyids'' who moved to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

were descendants of Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, especially of Ba 'Alawi sada, many of which were descendants of migrants from Hadhramaut. Even though they are alleged descendants of Husayn, it is uncommon for the female Sayyids to be called ''Sayyidah''; they are more commonly called ''Sharifah''. Most of them live in

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Moro Province Moro Province was a province of the Philippines consisting of the regions of Zamboanga (province), Zamboanga, Lanao (province), Lanao, Cotabato (historical province), Cotabato, Davao (province), Davao, and Sulu Archipelago, Jolo. It was later spl ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, Pattani and

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. Many of the royal families of this region such as the previous royal families of the Philippines (Sultanate of Sulu, Sultanate of Maguindanao, Confederation of Sultanates of Ranao), Singapore (Sultanate of Singapore), Malaysia (Sultanates of Johor and Perlis), Indonesia (Sultanates of Siak, Pontianak, Gowa, some Javanese Sultanates), and the existing royal family of Brunei (House of Bolkiah) are also Sayyids, especially of Ba'Alawi. Some common surnames of these ''Sayyids'' are al-Saqqaf, Shihab (or Shahab), al-Aidaroos, al-Habsyi (or al-Habshi), al-Kaff, al-Aththos, al-Haddad, al-Jufri (or al-Jifri), al-Muhdhar, al-Shaikh Abubakar, al-Qadri, al-Munawwar.

Tesayyud

In the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, tax breaks for "the People of the House" encouraged many people to buy certificates of descent or forge genealogies; the phenomenon of ''teseyyüd'' – falsely claiming noble ancestry – spread across ethnic, class, and religious boundaries. In the 17th century, an Ottoman bureaucrat estimated that there were 300,000 impostors. In 18th-century

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, nearly all upper-class urban people claimed descent from Muhammad.

Special requirements in Sunni Islam

According to Iran's religious leader and the

Deobandi Deobandi is a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam, adhering to the Hanafi school of law, formed in the late 19th century around the Darul Uloom Madrassa in Deoband, India, from which the name derives, by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, R ...

creed—a creed especially followed by patriarchal

Pashtun tribes The Pashtun tribes ( ps, پښتانه قبايل), historically also known as Afghan tribes, are the tribes of the Pashtun people, a large Eastern Iranian ethnic group who use the Pashto language and follow Pashtunwali code of conduct. They ar ...

—the status of being a ''Sayyid'' can only be attributed through patrilineal lineage. According to

opinions, children of a ''Sayyida'' mother and a non-''Sayyid'' father are referred to as

. The Persian notation "Mirza", which is a derivation of the word "Mirzada" (i.e., Son of a "Mir") has various meanings: one is a ''Sayyid'' leader of a ''Sayyid'' branch or community, simultaneously being a religious Islamic scholar. Thus, a ''Sayyid'' of patrilineal lineage, being the son of a Mir, can also be called "Mirza". This example substantiates the fact that there are different opinions concerning the transmission of the title ''Sayyid''. Another historical opinion of Ottoman Naqib al Ashrafs expresses that children of maternal prophetical descent are called '' Sharif''. However, in 1632 when an Ottoman court challenged a man wearing a ''Sayyid'' green turban, he established that he was a ''Sayyid'' on his mother's side, which was accepted by the court. In patriarchal societies, women usually have to assimilate themselves into their husband's status. However, this does not affect female descendants of Muhammad as it is seen as a sacred blood relation. Thus, the heraldic title can be given to an individual through his or hers mother's line in accordance to Ottoman Naqib al-Ashrafs. Even the Zaynabids, the descendants of Lady Zainab, the daughter of

Ali ibn Abi Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

can also be titled ''Sayyid'' or ''Sharif'', according to the Egyptian

Al-Suyuti Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti ( ar, جلال الدين السيوطي, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī) ( 1445–1505 CE),; (Brill 2nd) or Al-Suyuti, was an Arab Egyptian polymath, Islamic scholar, historian, Sufi, and jurist. From a family of Persian or ...

. In

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

matrilineal descendants are honoured. It is to be added that the supervision over the family of Bahauddin Naqshband and his descendants has been passed on through the maternal line.

Hazrat Ishaan Sayyid ul Sadaat Khwaja Sayyid Mir Khawand Mahmud ibn Sharif Naqshbandi al-Hasani wal-Husseini, known as Hazrat Ishaan Shah Saheb (1563 — 5 November 1642) was a Sufi Saint from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. Ancestry Hazrat Ishaan was a Sayyid, sig ...

was a maternal descendant of Bahauddin Naqshband and his successor Sayyid Mir Jan was in turn again a descendant of

from his mother's side. This indicates the possibility of even being a Mir or Naqib ul Ashraf from the mother's side. The requisites of it are the following: * Being able to trace his lineage back to Muhammad as ancestor * Being a Pious Muslim * Receiving the blessings of previous Naqib ul Ashraf, Mir or Sayyid ul Sadaat * Total affiliation as an

Alid The Alids are those who claim descent from the '' rāshidūn'' caliph and Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (656–661)—cousin, son-in-law, and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad—through all his wives. The main branches are the (inc ...

, meaning a son of

Ali Ibn Abi Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

, hence neglecting any other affiliations * Being learned in the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

and the

Sunnah In Islam, , also spelled ( ar, سنة), are the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time evidently saw and followed and passed ...

* Being a knowledgeable practicing

* Noble and well-mannered character * For a Mir especially, being qualified as a leader The above remuneration is in accordance with a

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

of Muhammad in which he declares that a hypocrite is not to be addressed as a "Sayyid".Sunan Abi Dawud, book 43, Hadith 205 Hence it is even problematic in a judicial point of view to call a patrilineal descendant of

a Sayyid, when he does not meet the above-mentioned criteria.

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{{Authority control Alids, * Arabic words and phrases Fatimah Hashemite people Islamic terminology Islamic honorifics * Descendants of individuals

History

Indication of descent

Existence of descendants of Hasan al-Askari

Africa

Ethiopia

Middle East

Iraq

Iran

Bahrain

Oman

Yemen

Libya

South Asia

History of South Asian ''Sayyids''

Afghanistan

India

North India

=Uttar Pradesh

=Bihar

South India

=Kerala

= Tamil Nadu

Genetic studies of ''Sayyids'' of the Indian sub-continent

Southeast Asia

Tesayyud

Special requirements in Sunni Islam

See also

Notes

References

Sources