Syeds

''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan and Husayn. The title may also refer to the descendants of the family of the Bani Hashim through the Prophet’s great-grandfather Hashim, and others including Hamza, Abbas, Abu Talib, and Asad ibn Hashim.

Etymology

A few Arabic language experts state that it has its roots in the word ''al-asad'' , meaning "lion", probably because of the qualities of valor and leadership. The word is derived from the verb sāda, meaning to rule. The title seyyid/sayyid existed before Islam, however not in light of a specific descent, but as a meritocratic sign of respect.

Hans Wehr's ''Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic'' defines seyyid as a translation for master, chief, sovereign, or lord. It also denotes someone respected and of high status.

In the Arab world, ''sayyid'' is the equivalent of the English word "liege lord" or "master".

Origin of the title

The foundation of the title Sayyid is unclear. In fact the title Sayyid as a unified reference for descendants of Muhammad did not exist, according to Morimoto Kazuo, until the Mongol conquests. This can be substantiated by historic records about Abdul Qadir Gilani and Bahauddin Naqshband, who did not refer to themselves with any title, despite their lineages to Muhammad. Sometimes the ruling community of a nation took this title to portray themselves as respected and honored, though they are not actually the descendants of Muhammad. This gives reasons to think that this title is founded later on. Morimoto refers to Mominov, who describes that the emergence of a community leader during the Mongol era (Ilkhanate) gave rise to the prominence of the title Sayyid. This leader is most probably the Sunni Shafiite scholar Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, who lived in this time, being known as a saint credited with the honorific titles "Amir-e-Kabir"( English: "Grand Prince") and "Ali-e-Saani" ( English: "Second Ali"). Hamadani's religious legacy in Kashmir as well as his headquarter (Persian: ''Khanqah'') the ''Khanqa-e-Mola'' became under the control of the Grand Sayyid Hazrat Ishaan. Hazrat Ishaan's descendants are buried in Hamadani's headquarters, on which occasion it is known as the " Ziyarat Naqshband Sahab" today.

However, in Sunni Islam as practiced in the Ottoman and Mughal Empire, a person descending from Muhammad (either maternally or paternally) can only claim the title of ''Sayyid'' meritocratically by passing audits, whereupon exclusive rights, like paying lesser taxes, will be granted. These are mostly based on the claimant's demonstrated knowledge of the Quran and piousness (Arabic: ''Taqwa'') under the assessment of a Naqib al-Ashraf, also known as a Mir in Persian-speaking countries.Tazkare Khanwade Hazrat Ishaan, p. 61, by Muhammad Yasin Qaswari Naqshbandi, published by Kooperatis Lahorin, Edare Talimat Naqshbandiyya Notable examples of such a Naqib (plural: "Nuqaba") or Mirs (plural: "Miran"), were Hazrat Ishaan in the Mughal Empire and his descendant Sayyid Mir Fazlullah Agha in Royal Afghanistan.

West Asia

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 Al-Talqani, Alyassiri, Al Aqeeqi, Al-Nasrullah, Al-Wahab, Al-Hashimi, Al-Barznji, Al- Quraishi, Al-Marashi, Al-Witry, Al-Obaidi, Al-Samarai, Al-Zaidi, 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, Al-Asadi and many others.

Iran

''Sayyids'' (in ''Seyyed'') are found in vast numbers in Iran. The Chief of "National Organization for Civil Registration" of Iran declared that more than 6 millions 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, 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, the Safavids also imported to Iran more Arab Shias, predominantly ''Sayyids'', built religious institutions for them, including many ''Madrasas'' (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, Kazemi, Razavi, Eshtehardian, Tabatabaei, Hashemi, Hassani, Jafari, Emami, Ahmadi, Zaidi, Imamzadeh, Sherazi, Kermani (kirmani), Shahidi, and Mahdavi.

Oman

In Oman, Sayyid is used solely as a royal title and not as a means of indicating descent from Muhammad. It is used by members of the ruling Al Said family who are not descended from Muhammad but instead from the Azd, a Qahtanite tribe. All male line descendants of Sultan Ahmad bin Said, the first ruler of Oman from the Al Said dynasty, are able to use the title of Sayyid or Sayyida. Male line descendants of Sultan Turki bin Said are also able to use the style of His/Her Highness. The Sayyid title in Oman is some times translated as Prince.

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, Shia, and Sufi. ''Sayyid'' families in Yemen include the Rassids, the Qasimids, the Mutawakkilites, the Hamideddins, some Al-Zaidi of Ma'rib, Sana'a, and Sa'dah, the Ba 'Alawi sadah families in Hadhramaut, Mufadhal of Sana'a, Al-Shammam of Sa'dah, the Sufyan of Juban, and the Al-Jaylani of Juban.

South Asia

In South Asia, Sayyids are mostly credited for preaching and consolidating the religion of Islam. They are predominantly descendants of leading saints of Shia faith that migrated from Persia to preach Islamin Islamic Theology.

Afghanistan

In the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the ''Sayyid'' have been recognized as an ethnic group. On March 15, 2019, President Ashraf Ghani decreed the inclusion of the "Sadat tribe" in the electronically registered national identity documents (Tazkira). The majority of Sayyids live in Balkh and Kunduz in the north, as well as in Nangarhar in the east. They are predominantly Sunni Muslims^{citation needed]}, although there are some, including in Bamiyan Province, who belong to Shia Islam. These individuals are often referred to as ''Sadat'' (from , the plural of ''Sayyid''), a term traditionally used to denote the descendants of Hasan and Hussein, the first Shia martyrs and sons of Ali, who are grandsons of Muhammad, particularly in the northern Hejaz region and British India.

North India

The earliest migration of ''Sayyids'' from Afghanistan to North India 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) 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 ''mazar''. 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 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 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. 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 Iran in 1549 and joined the court of the Mughal 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 Mughals 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 Safipur are HUSSAINI Sayyids They are descendants of great saint Makhdoom Shah Ala Jajmawi Zanjani(He Was born in Zanjan (1175). his father was first migrated from Zanjan, Iran to India his name was qazi siraj uddin hasan zanjani . He was the chief qazi of Zanjan Iran.

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, 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. 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 descendants 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.

Syed Yaqub Halabi also known as Syed Yaqub Baghdadi, a Hanafi Qazi from Madrassa Al Nizamiyya, originally from Halab (Aleppo) who travelled to India with Muhammad of Ghor after the Second Battle of Tarain. He was an eleventh generational descendant of Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin through his son Abd Allah Al Bahr Al Ilm.

Sharafuddin Maneri belongs to Banu Hashim family of Imam Taj Faqih. In Bihar, Sayyids were landlords, judges, barristers, intellectuals, civil servant, clerics, teachers, businessmen and farmers. Sufi Saint and a warrior 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, Political Scientist Abu Bakr Ahmad Haleem was the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Aligarh University and Karachi University, The great Abdul Bari, Zaid Hamid 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 Bihar. 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 region of Bihar.

Most prominent personalities of Sadaat of Bihar were from Desna, Bihar. For Example Syed Mohammed Saeed Raza, Abdul Qavi Desnavi and Sulaiman Nadvi. Desna's library, established in 1892, had thousands of old Persian and Urdu manuscripts. After the partition of India, 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, Syed Hasan Imam and his brother Syed Ali Imam.

Kerala

In Kerala, a number of Sayyid families (Qabila) are found. Most of them migrated from Arabian peninsula (Yemen's Hadharamout) and Central Asian region in the Middle Ages and settled under the patronage of Zamorins. Famous among are Jifris, Bukharis and Ba-Alawis.

Sayyids occupy various positions as jurists (qazi), scholars (ulama') and leaders (umara'). The state leaders of Indian Union Muslim League and Samastha are mostly chosen from Panakkad Thangal Family. A religious educational institute named 'Sadath Academy' was established in Kerala exclusively for Sayyid students.

Genetic studies and controversy of self-proclaimed Indian Sayyids

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 showed evidence of elevated Arab ancestry but not of a recent common patrilineal origin.

In Northern India, Uttar Pradesh & Bihar 0.2 per cent of the Sunni Muslim belong to haplogroup J1, which, given its absence in Indian non-Muslims is likely of exogenous Middle Eastern origin. 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, but may not hint exact descent from Muhammad. J1 is exclusively Near Eastern. The results for Sayyids showed minor but still detectable levels of gene flow primarily from Iran, rather than directly from the Arabian peninsula.

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 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 IHL (Syeds, Hashemites, Quraysh and Ansari) show greater genetic affinity to Arab populations—despite the geographic distance, than other Indian populations.

Southeast Asia

Most of the Alawi ''Sayyids'' who moved to Southeast Asia 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 only "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, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Moro Province in Philippines, Pattani and Cambodia. 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), Country of Singapore (Sultanate of Singapore House of Bendahara), Country of Malaysia ( Sultanates of Johor House of Temenggong, Sultanates of Pahang and Sultanates of Terengganu House of Bendahara, Kingdom of Perlis House of Jamalullail), Country of Indonesia (Sultanates of Siak, Sultanates of Pontianak, Sultanates of Gowa, some Javanese Sultanates), Country of Brunei ( Sultanates of Brunei House of Bolkiah) are also Sayyids, especially of Ba'Alawi.

Some common surnames of these ''Sayyids'' are Al-Saqqaf (or As-Saqqaf, Assegaf, Assegaff, Al-Sagoff), Shihab (or Shahab), Al-idaroos (or Al-Aydrus, Al Aidrus, Alaydrus, House of Bendahara, House of Temenggong), Al-Habsyi (or Al-Habshi), Al-Kaff, Al-Aththos (or Al-Attas, Alattas, Alattos), Al-Haddad Alhaddad), Al-Jufri (or Al-Jifri), Al-Muhdhar, Al-Shaikh Abubakar, Al-Qadri, Al-Munawwar, Al-Akbar Al-Hasani (or Al Akbar Al Hasani, Al-Bolkiah, House of Bolkiah), Al-Jamalullail (or Al Jamalullail, Djamalullail, House of Jamalullail).

Tesayyud

In the Ottoman Empire, 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, nearly all upper-class urban people claimed descent from Muhammad.

Royal descendants of Muhammad

Descendants of Muhammad are present in many royal families today and are predominantly of Sunni faith.

Libyan royal family

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.

Sharifs of Mecca

Jordan

The Hashemite royal family of Jordan also claims descent from Muhammad in the line of the Sharifs of Mecca, vassals that were set by the Fatimids and recognized by the Ottomans, tracing their lineage back to Imam Hasan ibn Ali. The Hashemite Royal Family under Sharif Hussein ibn Ali was crucial in ending Ottoman rule in the Arabian Peninsula, on the occasion of the spread of Pan-Turkism in the Arabian Peninsula.

Brunei

The House of Bolkiah claims descent from Imam Hasan ibn Ali through Sharif Ali, the 3rd Sultan of Brunei, who succeeded his father in law as Sultan in virtue of his descent from Muhammad. Sharif Ali formerly served as Emir of Makkah and belonged to the Sherifians, migrating to Brunei for missionary purposes.

Moroccan royal family

The Alaouite Royal family of Morocco also claims descent from Muhammad in the line of Imam Hasan ibn Ali. Their patriarch was Sharif ibn Ali, who founded the dynasty.

Sulu, Lanao, and Maguindanao royal family

The Sultanates of Sulu, Lanao, and Maguindanao hold a significant place in Philippine history, rooted deeply in both cultural heritage and religious identity. It is claimed that these Sultanates trace their lineage to the Prophet Muhammad, upholding the tenets of Sunni Ash'ari in Aqeeda (theological creed) and adhering to the Shafi'i school of thought in Fiqh (jurisprudence). Central to their spiritual and intellectual tradition are the teachings of Sufi missionaries from the Ba 'Alawi sada, whose influence has played a pivotal role in shaping the religious landscape of the region.

The majority of Muslims in the Philippines adhere to the Sunni Ash'ari creed and follow the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, reflecting the enduring influence of these traditions within the Sultanates and beyond. Furthermore, there exists a profound respect for, and in many cases, the practice of Sufism among Filipino Muslims. Sufism, with its emphasis on spiritual purification and the pursuit of inner knowledge, resonates deeply with the cultural and religious fabric of the Filipino Muslim community.

Other indication of descent

In addition to the sayyid title, descendants of Muhammad through the Twelve Imams in Arabic, Persian and Urdu may obtain the following surnames:

See also

* Family tree of Muhammad
* Mir
* Naqib
* Mirza (title)
* Ba'Alawi Sada
* Taqbil
* Sheikh
* Ngwenyama (a title from Africa also meaning "lion" but in a honorific sense)

Notes

References

Sources

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