The surname Al-Zaidi (Az-Zaidi) can denote one or both of the following: *

Sayyid ''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 ...

Arab descendants 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 ...

that either stayed in

Kufa Kufa ( ar, الْكُوفَة ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Currently, Kufa and Najaf ...

, Iraq or returned to Al-Hijaz. *The use of the surname Al-Zaidi to designate association may be with the

Zaidiyyah Zaydism (''h'') is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, ...

madhhab A ( ar, مذهب ', , "way to act". pl. مَذَاهِب , ) is a school of thought within ''fiqh'' (Islamic jurisprudence). The major Sunni Mathhab are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. They emerged in the ninth and tenth centuries CE an ...

'', whose adherents are found 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 ...

. This is akin to the use of the surnames Al-Hanafi, Al-Maliki, Al-Shafi'i, etc. People with the surname Zaidi trace their origins to the Islamic Holy City of

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

, located in present-day Saudi Arabia. Zaid ibn Ali was the son of

Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn ( ar, علي بن الحسين زين العابدين), also known as al-Sajjād (, ) or simply as Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn (), , was an Imam in Shiʻi Islam after his father Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle Hasan ...

who was the great grandson of the Islamic prophet

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 ...

thus the descendants of Zaid ibn Ali are known as

- an honorific title bestowed upon to the descendants of

. In Present times, the Descendants of Zaid ibn Ali can be found in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. The ones in India and Pakistan carry the surname Zaidi along with

Wasti Wasti or Wasiti is a toponymic surname originating from the city of Wasit, Iraq. Twelver Shias in India and Pakistan descending from Zayd ibn Ali also carry the surname along with Zaidi. Notable people bearing the name include: * Abu Bakr Muhamma ...

(denoting Zayd ibn Ali's descendants from

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 ...

) with Sadaat-e-Bara and

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

as prominent communities, they are followers of

Twelver Shi'ism 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 ...

not Zaydism which is largely restricted to Yemen.

The Wasitis/Zaidis in South Asia

The Zaidis of the Indian subcontinent use the proper noun "Wasiti" as a form of self-identification.

is believed to have succumbed to injuries he sustain during a battle in Kufa, Iraq; many of his descendants either returned to al-Hijaz or remained in Iraq. Some of those who stayed in Iraq settled in

. Some descendants from Wasit then moved to the Indian subcontinent. Most of the Zaidis migrated after the Mongol Siege of Baghdad in 1258. Most of them are settled in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

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 ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

.Article by Sayyid 'Ali ibn 'Ali Al-Zaidi, التاريخ الصغير عن الشيعة اليمنيين (A short History of the Yemenite Shi‘ites, 2005) The largest group among those identifying themselves as Zaidi is ''

Saadat-e-Bara Sadat e-Bara sometimes pronounced Sadaat-e-Bahara, are a community of Sayyids, originally Elite or Noble Sayyid families situated in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh in India. This community had considerable influence during the rei ...

''. ''Saadat'' means descendant of

and ''Bara'' means twelve in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Akbarnama The ''Akbarnama'', which translates to ''Book of Akbar'', the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor (), commissioned by Akbar himself and written by his court historian and biographer, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak. It was ...

'' and other Moghul sources) and Bahira meaning "bright" in Arabic language. One explanation of the word is as mentioned above; another is that there are twelve villages in

Muzaffarnagar district Muzaffarnagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is part of Saharanpur division. The city of Muzaffarnagar is the district headquarters. This district is the part of National Capital Region. History Medieval ...

and their residents were called Sadat Barha. Aurangzeb wrote about the Syeds of Barha:

"You should be extremely cautious in dealing with the Syeds of Barha...because a strong partner in government would soon seize the kingship for himself."

The Barha Sayyids in Muzaffarnagar rose as the de-facto rulers of the Mughal empire, under their leaders Qutb-ul-Mulk and Ihtimam-ul-Mulk who deposed the Emperors

Jahandar Shah Mirza Mu'izz-ud-Din Beg Muhammad Khan (10 May 1661 – 11 February 1713), more commonly known as Jahandar Shah (), was the ninth Mughal Emperor who ruled for a brief period in 1712–1713. He was the son of Bahadur Shah (Shah Alam), and the ...

Farrukhsiyar Farrukhsiyar or Farrukh Siyar () (20 August 16839 April 1719) was the tenth emperor of the Mughal Empire from 1713 to 1719. He rose to the throne after assassinating his uncle, Emperor Jahandar Shah. Reportedly a handsome man who was easily sw ...

Rafi ud-Darajat Rafi ud-Darajat (; 1 December 1699 – 6 June 1719), the youngest son of Rafi-ush-Shan and the nephew of Azim-ush-Shan, was the eleventh Mughal Emperor. He was placed on the throne by the Sayyid Brothers of Barha, after they had executed the ...

and

Shah Jahan II Shah Jahan II (; June 1696 – 19 September 1719), born Rafi-ud-Daulah, was the twelfth Mughal emperor for a brief period in 1719. After being chosen by the Sayyid Brothers of Barha, he succeeded his short-lived brother Rafi-ud-Darajat in th ...

. File:Qutb-ul-Mulk Sayyid Hassan Ali Abdullah Khan.png, Qutb-ul-Mulk Hassan Ali Khan Barha File:Amir-ul-Umara Sayyid Hussain Ali Khan.jpg, Amir-ul-Umara Hussain Ali Khan Barha These Sayyeds are descendants of Sayyid Abu'l Farah Al Hussaini Al Wasti who came to India from Wasit (Iraq) in the 11th century along with his four sons who settled in four villages of Punjab, Kundliwaal, Chhatbanur, Tihanpur and Jajner giving names to all four clans of Sadat Barha. Their numbers are highest in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

(Pakistan) and

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 ...

(India). The Kundliwal clan mainly live in Mujhera, Hashimpur, and Sikrehra Khola. The Chhatraudi clan mainly live in Sambalhera. Many of them migrated to Pakistan during the

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: ...

Notable people with the surname Al-Zaidi

Muntadhar al-Zaidi Muntadhar al-Zaidi ( ar, منتظر الزيدي ''Muntaẓar az-Zaydī''; born 15 January 1979) is an Iraqi broadcast journalist who served as a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Egyptian-based Al-Baghdadia TV. , al-Zaidi works with a Lebanese ...

(born 1979), Iraqi broadcast journalist who serves as a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Egyptian-based Al-Baghdadia TV

Notable people with the surname Zaidi

;Art and literature * Ali Jawad Zaidi, Urdu poet and writer of India * Ali Naqi Zaidi (Safi Lakhnavi), Urdu poet of India * Annie Zaidi, India English-language writer * Askari Mian Zaidi (Askari Mian Irani), Pakistani artist, professor at National College of Arts *

Mohsin Zaidi Mohsin Zaidi (10 July 1935 – 3 September 2003) was an Indian Urdu poet who used the pen name 'Mohsin'. He is best known as a writer of ghazals, who expressed new ideas with this traditional form. Early life and education Saiyed Mohsin Raza ...

, Indian Urdu poet *

Mustafa Zaidi Mustafa Zaidi (born Syed Mustafa Hasnain Zaidi; 10 October 1930 – 2 October 1970) was a Pakistani Urdu poet and a civil servant. Early life In 1954, he passed the competitive examination and was sent to England for training before being gi ...

, Urdu poet of Pakistan * Nusrat Zaidi, Pakistani Urdu poet * Sajida Zaidi, Indian educationist, Urdu writer and poet *

Ustad Sibte Jaafar Zaidi Sayyid Sibte Jaffar Zaidi ( ur, سيد سبط جعفر زيدى) or commonly known as Ustad Sibte Jaffar (Urdu: اُستاد سبطِ جعفر) (born 1957) was a Pakistani professor, poet, advocate, principal, religious reciter, writer and soc ...

, poet, professor and head of various institutions in Pakistan * Zahida Zaidi, Indian writer and critic ;Architecture * Nayyar Ali Zaidi, Pakistani architect ;Government * Ijlal Haider Zaidi, Pakistani civil servant *

Bashir Hussain Zaidi Sayyid Bashir Hussain Zaidi, CIE, MP (30 July 1898 – 29 March 1992) was a member of the first Lok Sabha and the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University from 1956 to 1962. He also served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of ...

, member of the first Lok Sabha and Vice Chancellor of AMU * Nasim Zaidi, Chief Election Commissioner of India * Sibte Hasan Zaidi, Indian toxicologist, head of the Industrial Toxicology Research Center * Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi, Chief Election Commissioner of India ;Media * Ashar Zaidi, Pakistani broadcast sports journalist *

Hasan Zaidi Hasan Zaidi (born 28 September 1978) is an Indian television actor who is known for his roles in '' Khotey Sikkey'' and '' Hum Ne Li Hai...Shapath''. Life and family Zaidi was born in Aligarh and hails from Hardoi near Lucknow, U.P. He spent ...

, Indian television actor *

Hussain Zaidi S. Hussain Zaidi (born 28 February 1968) is an Indian author and former investigative journalist. His works include '' Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia'', ''Mafia Queens of Mumbai'', '' Black Friday'', ''My Name is Abu Salem'' a ...

, Indian journalist and screenwriter *

Tanveer Zaidi Tanveer Zaidi ur, , hi, तनवीर ज़ैदी, born to Syed Mashooq Hussain is an Indian actor and educationist. 'Tanveer Zaidi has acted in 13 films until date & many T.V series & Live shows, He has also appeared as a judge in sat ...

, Indian actor, businessman and educationist * Salman Zaidi, Indian television personality *

Shama Zaidi Shama Zaidi (born 25 September 1938) is an Indian screenplay writer, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary film maker. She is married to director M. S. Sathyu. Shama Zaidi Was Honored with Lifetime Achievem ...

, Indian designer and filmmaker * Zaigham Zaidi, Pakistani photographer ;Religion * Ali Ausat Zaidi, Urdu soazkhawan of Pakistan * Sibt-e-Jaafar Zaidi, Pakistani educator ;Sport * Ashar Zaidi, Pakistani first-class cricketer *

Ashish Zaidi Ashish Winston Zaidi, popularly known as Zaidi is an Indian cricketer, who has represented Uttar Pradesh in 157 first-class matches, as a Fast bowler between 1988 and 2006. He was almost selected to play for India in his heyday. Due to his Hi ...

, Indian cricketer * Mehdi Hassan Zaidi (

Syed Modi Syed Modi (31 December 1962 – 28 July 1988), born as Syed Mehdi Hassan Zaidi, was an Indian badminton singles player. He was eight-time National Badminton champion (1980–1987). His most notable achievement at the international badminton ...

), Indian badminton singles champion * Zulqarnain Zaidi, former Pakistani cricketer *

Farhan Zaidi Farhan Zaidi (born November 11, 1976) is a Canadian-American baseball executive who is currently the President of Baseball Operations for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. Zaidi is one of two Muslim executives in Major League Bas ...

, President of Baseball Operations for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

References

{{surname, Zaidi Hashemite people Shi'ite surnames Muslim communities of India Social groups of Pakistan Zaidiyyah Urdu-language surnames Twelver Shi'ism

The Wasitis/Zaidis in South Asia

Notable people with the surname Al-Zaidi

Notable people with the surname Zaidi

See also

References