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

Sayyid ''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 ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

Arab descendants of

Zayd ibn Ali Zayd ibn ʿAlī (; 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 Caliphate, in which he died. The event gave rise to t ...

that either stayed in

Kufa Kufa ( ), 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, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...

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

Zaidiyyah Zaydism () is a branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali's unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. Zaydism is one of the three main branches of Shi'ism, with the other two being Twelverism ...

madhhab A ''madhhab'' (, , pl. , ) refers to any school of thought within fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence. The major Sunni Islam, Sunni ''madhhab'' are Hanafi school, Hanafi, Maliki school, Maliki, Shafi'i school, Shafi'i and Hanbali school, Hanbali. They ...

'', whose adherents are found in

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. 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, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

, located in present-day Saudi Arabia. Zaid ibn Ali was the son of Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin who was the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

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 and Pakistan. The ones in India and Pakistan carry the surname Zaidi along with

Wasti Wāsiṭī (, also anglicized as Wasity or Wasti) 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 (see Zaidi Wasitis). Notabl ...

(denoting Zayd ibn Ali's descendants from

Wasit Wasit (, ) was an early Islamic city in Iraq. It was founded in the 8th century by the Umayyad viceroy of Iraq, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to serve as the region's seat and as the garrison of the Syrian troops who enforced Umayyad rule there. It was ...

) with

Sadaat-e-Bara Sadat e-Bara sometimes pronounced Sadaat-e-Bahara, are a tribe of Islam in Uttar Pradesh, Indian Muslim Sayyids, originally Elite or Noble Sayyid families situated in the present-day Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh in India. This commu ...

and Sadaat-e-Bilgram as prominent communities, they are followers of

Twelver Shi'ism Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the largest branch of Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twelve divinely ordained leaders, known as ...

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 The siege of Baghdad took place in early 1258. A large army commanded by Hulegu, a prince of the Mongol Empire, attacked the historic capital of the Abbasid Caliphate after a series of provocations from its ruler, caliph al-Musta'sim. Within ...

in 1258. Most of them are settled in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

.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''. ''Saadat'' means descendant of

and ''Bara'' means twelve in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

. There are many interpretations of word bara and many spellings are current: Bara, Bahera, Barha (as spelled in ''Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri'', ''

Akbarnama The ''Akbarnama (; )'', is the official chronicle of the reign of Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor (), commissioned by Akbar himself and written by his court historian and biographer, Abul Fazl. It was written in Persian, which was the literary l ...

'' 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 M ...

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 Jahandar Shah (Mirza Mu'izz-ud-Din Beg Muhammad Khan; 10 May 1661 – 11 February 1713) was briefly the ninth Mughal emperor from 1712 to 1713. He was the son of Emperor Bahadur Shah I, and the grandson of Emperor Aurangzeb. Jahandar Shah w ...

Farrukhsiyar Farrukhsiyar (; 20 August 16839 April 1719), also spelled as Farrukh Siyar, was the tenth Mughal emperors, Mughal Emperor from 1713 to 1719. He rose to the throne after deposing his uncle Jahandar Shah. He was an emperor only in name, with all ...

Rafi ud-Darajat Mirza Rafi ud-Darajat (); 1 December 1699 – 6 June 1719) was briefly the Eleventh Mughal emperor. He was the youngest son of Rafi-ush-Shan, the nephew of Azim-ush-Shan and a grandson of Bahadur Shah I. He was placed on the throne by th ...

and Shah Jahan II. 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 is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

(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 ...

(India). The Kundliwal clan mainly live in Mujhera, Galibpur, 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 India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

Notable people with the surname Al-Zaidi

Muntadhar al-Zaidi Muntadhar al-Zaidi (; born 15 January 1979) is an Iraqi broadcast journalism, broadcast journalist who served as a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Egypt-based Al-Baghdadia TV. , al-Zaidi works with a Lebanon, Lebanese TV channel. On 16 November ...

(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 Syed Ali Jawad Zaidi (10 March 1916 – 6 December 2004) was an Indian Urdu poet, scholar, and author of over 80 books in several languages. He was also an Indian independence activist, lawyer and later a civil servant, but is best known for ...

, 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, Indian Urdu poet * Mustafa Zaidi, Urdu poet of Pakistan * Nusrat Zaidi, Pakistani Urdu poet * Sajida Zaidi, Indian educationist, Urdu writer and poet * Ustad Sibte Jaafar Zaidi, poet, professor and head of various institutions in Pakistan * Zahida Zaidi, Indian writer and critic ;Architecture * Nayyar Ali Zaidi, Pakistani architect ;Government * Shabbar Zaidi, 26th Chairman of Federal Board of Revenue * Ijlal Haider Zaidi, Pakistani civil servant *

Ali Haider Zaidi Syed Ali Haider Zaidi () (born 11 September 1952) is a Pakistani politician who served as the Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs from 11 September 2018 to 10 April 2022. He also served as the President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Sindh c ...

, Pakistani Politician, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs * Bashir Hussain Zaidi, member of the first Lok Sabha and Vice Chancellor of AMU * Ibtihal Al-Zaidi, former Iraqi minister for Women * 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 Syed Ashar Ahmed Zaidi (; born 13 July 1981) is a Pakistani first-class cricketer. Zaidi is a left-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spin bowler who is considered an all-rounder. He has played first-class cricket for Islamabad in Pakistan a ...

, Pakistani broadcast sports journalist * Yumna Zaidi, Pakistani Actress * Hasan Zaidi, Indian television actor *

Hussain Zaidi Syed 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 Sale ...

, Indian journalist and screenwriter * Laila Zaidi, British actress * Tanveer Zaidi, Indian actor, businessman and educationist * Salman Zaidi, Indian television personality * Shama Zaidi, Indian designer and filmmaker * Zaigham Zaidi, Pakistani photographer ;Religion * Ali Ausat Zaidi, Urdu soazkhawan of Pakistan * Sibt-e-Jaafar Zaidi, Pakistani educator ;Sport *

, Pakistani first-class cricketer * Ashish Zaidi, 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 c ...

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

Farhan Zaidi Farhan Zaidi (born November 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional baseball executive. He has also served as president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants, general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and as assistant general mana ...

, President of Baseball Operations for the

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

References

{{surname, Zaidi Hashemite people Shi'ite surnames Muslim communities of India Muslim communities of Pakistan Zaydism 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