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

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...

through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhammad's daughter Fatima and his cousin and son-in-law Ali (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, the tribe of Muhammad. But later on the title was made specific to those of Hasani 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, such as in Iraq, the descendants of Muhammad are given the title '' amīr'' 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 Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are ...

the son of a non Sayyid father and a Sayyida mother claim the title Mirza. In Sunni Islam 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 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" 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, which according to tradition traces its lineage to Adnan, and therefore directly descends from Ishmael ( 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 Hebrews, Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the Covenant (biblical), special ...

( Ibrahim) . 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 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 has had a rich history of the veneration of relics, 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, ...

's Topkapı Palace.

Indication of descent

In the early period, other than general usage, the Arabs also allowed the terms ''Sayyid'' to descendants from both Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali. .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 branch of Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the ...

Sayyid scholars wear black turbans, while non-Sayyid Shia scholars wear other colors (most commonly white). SunniIslamic 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''. For further explanation, see Arabic names. 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, Allawis/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. 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 and Ghulat 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 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 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 minor ...

'' Qozi Sayyid Bahodirxon; and Sufi saints Tajuddin Muhammad Badruddin and Pir Baba. In her book ''Pain and Grace: A Study of Two Mystical Writers of Eighteenth-Century Muslim India'', Dr. Annemarie Schimmel 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 Usul may refer to: Ideas * Usul al-fiqh, a principle of Islamic jurisprudence * Usul al-Din, the Shi'a Roots of Religion *Usul (music), a rhythmic pattern used in Ottoman classical music. Characters *Usul, the secret tribal name of Paul Atreides ...

'':

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, 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 jambiyas, khanjars 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-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- Hasani, Al- Hussaini, Al- Shahristani, Al-Qazwini Al- Qadri, Tabatabaei, Al- Alawi, Al-Ghawalib (Al-Ghalibi), Al-Musawi, Al-Awadi (not to be confused with the Al-Awadhi Huwala 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 Turkm ...

. 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 era. The Safavids transformed the religious landscape of Iran by imposing Twelver 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'' who predominantly were Sayyids from traditional Shiite centers of the Arabic-speaking lands, such as Jabal Amel (of southern Lebanon), Syria,

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,

Mousavi Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh ( fa, میرحسین موسوی خامنه, Mīr-Hoseyn Mūsavī Khāmené, ; born 2 March 1942) is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the forty-ninth and last Prime Minister of Ir ...

, Kazemi, Razavi, Eshtehardian, Tabatabaei, Hashemi, Hassani, Jafari, Emami, Ahmadi, Zaidi, Imamzadeh, Sherazi, Kermani (kirmani), Shahidi, and Mahdavi.

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, Siffin and Nahrawan, 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 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, and he and Mu`awiyah 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 with members of the royal family eligible for succession to the throne given the title Sheikh, 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 ...

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 Banu Hashim or from Imam Ali and instead descends from the

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

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

, Sunni, and Sufi. ''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 north and Oman to the northeast an ...

include the Rassids, the Qasimids, the Mutawakkilites, the Hamideddins, some Al-Zaidi of Ma'rib, 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 Gove ...

, 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 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 Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a 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 the former ...

( Turkestan) 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 member ...

, Ghaznavid dynasty, Delhi Sultanate, 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 ...

, 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 (Punjab) and settled there very early. Other early migrant ''Sayyids'' moved deep into the south to the Deccan sultanates 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 t ...

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, Nizam Shahi of Ahmednagar, Bijapur, 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-Muttal ...

, Umayyad and Safavid. 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 Muslims appointed to the Council of India and the first appointed to the privy council were both ''Sayyids''.Descendants of Prophet Muhammad in India
By K D L Khan, Published on: 14 January 2012

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, Sayyids (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 and Kunduz; while in the east they can be found in Nangarhar. While most are Sunni Muslims, some in the Bamiyan 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 (1,108,000), Karnataka (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 t ...

(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 s ...

(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 ...

(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 four ...

(372,000),

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

(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 nin ...

(245,000),

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

(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 and the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

) 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 Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships. Endogamy is common in many cu ...

has begun to decline among the more urbanized families, with an increase in exogamy with other groups such as the Shaikh and

Mughals 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 ...

.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 taluqdars. 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 zamindari 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 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 Centr ...

took place in 1032 when Gazi Saiyyed Salar Sahu (general and brother-in-law of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni) and his son Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud established their military headquarters at Satrikh ( 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 se ...

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

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. 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

after the Battle of Buxar made a pragmatic decision to work with the various ''Sayyid'' jagirdars. Several ''Sayyid'' taluqdars 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 zamindari 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, 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. The Sayyeds of Abdullapur Meerut 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 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 Sultan 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 ( Raebareli), 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 ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Hādī ( ar, عَلِيّ ٱبْن مُحَمَّد ٱلْهَادِي; 828 – 868 CE) was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the tenth of the Twelve Imams, succeeding his father, Muhammad al-Jawad. He ...

, a branch of Naqvi Bukhari. Famous Pir Syed Mehboob Alam Naqvi-ul Bukhari Al-Maroof Shah Jewna 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-Maroo ...

. 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 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 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 who was the grandson of Husayn ibn Ali and therefore his descendants are called Husseini( 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 ...

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) from Asthawan and 10 miles from Bihar Sharif. History Desna was a Saadat village. Desna prod ...

. 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 and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

manuscripts. After the

, 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 and Sir Imam Ali .

=Gujarat

= In Gujarat, most of the Sayyid families are descended from individuals invited by the Muslim rulers of Gujarat to serve as advisers and administrators, and were granted '' jagirs''. During the period of Sultan Mahmud Begada (1458–1511), the sultan provided land to three Sayyid brothers and a grant to settle there after the victory of Pavagadh Fort. In 1484 the sultan conquered the fort on 21 November 1484 and transferred his capital to Champaner, 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 ...

, Aurangzeb, and were provided land grants 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. 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 among the Muslims of Kerala (most whom follow the Shafi'i 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 C ...

. Most members of the community practices

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, and Kayalpattinam. Badusha Sulthan Syed Ibrahim Shaheed of Ervadi, 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 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 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, 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 and another 11 per cent belong to haplogroup J1, 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 in

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 Thailan ...

. 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 r ...

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

Special requirements in Sunni Islam

According to Iran's religious leader and the Deobandi creed—a creed especially followed by patriarchal Pashtun tribes—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 Mirza. 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 can also be titled ''Sayyid'' or ''Sharif'', according to the Egyptian Al-Suyuti. 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 was a maternal descendant of Bahauddin Naqshband and his successor Sayyid Mir Jan was in turn again a descendant of Hazrat Ishaan 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, meaning a son of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, hence neglecting any other affiliations * Being learned in the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard 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 from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing.: ...

and the Sunnah * Being a knowledgeable practicing Sufi * 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 Ali Ibn Abi Talib a Sayyid, when he does not meet the above-mentioned criteria.

Notes

References

Sources

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