- Used as a title and form of address for a male dignitary.
- Used as a title for a descendant of the family of Muhammad.
[Arabic, from sāda, to become chief.]
Dictionary:
say·yid (sä'yĭd) ![]() |
[Arabic, from sāda, to become chief.]
| Mideast & N. Africa Encyclopedia: Sayyid |
Arabic word for "master," "lord," "chief," or "mister." Prior to the coming of Islam, sayyid (plural: sada or asyad) was used in Arabia to denote a tribal chief. After the coming of Islam, it assumed a particular meaning: descendants and certain relatives of the prophet Muhammad. The term sayyid thereafter came to denote the direct descendants of the Prophet through his two grandsons, Hasan and Husayn, the sons of the union of the Prophetʾs daughter, Fatima, and his sonin-law (and cousin), Ali. In some part of the Arab world, notably in the Hijaz region of Arabia and parts of the Fertile Crescent, sayyid came to denote those who were part of the lineage of Husayn, while the term sharif denoted those descendant from Hasan. Sayyids were held in high social esteem. However, the terms sayyid or sid (also, "sidi": "my lord") have also been used in a variety of Islamic societies as a form of address for holy men and religious figures. It also is the modern Arabic equivalent of "mister." See also the encyclopedia entry Sharif.
| Islamic Dictionary: sayyid |
A title borne by descendents of the Prophet Mohammad.
| Wikipedia: Sayyid |
Sayyid (Arabic: سيد) (plural sādah سادة) literally means Mister. In the Arab world itself, the word is the equivalent of Engl. "Mister", as in Sayyid John Smith. The same concept is expressed by the word sidi (from the contracted form sayyidī 'my lord') in the Moroccan dialect of Arabic.[1]
The term Sayyid as an honorific title, is given to males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (primarily by Shi'ite Muslims) through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, who were the sons of his daughter Fatima Zahra and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib. Daughters of male sayyids are given the titles Sayyida, Alawiyah, Syarifah, or Sharifah. Children of a Sayyida mother but a non-Sayyid father cannot be attributed the title of Sayyid, however they may claim maternal descent and are called Mirza.
Sayyids are Arabs, and Sayyids in Asia are of Arab origin. The Sayyids are from the tribe of Banu Hashim a clan from the tribe of Quraish which traces its lineage to Adnan who his lineage traces back to Prophet Ismael the son of Prophet Ibrahim.
Some Muslims also use the term Sayyid for the descendants of Abu Talib, uncle of Muhammad, by his other sons: Jafar, Abbas, Aqeel and Talib.
Alevi use seyyid (Turkish) as an honorific before the names of their saints.
El Cid, the name given to a famous Spanish knight of the 11th century C.E., is derived from Al-Sayyid (as-sayyid), meaning lord.
As-Sayyid is also used as title or a form of address to denote a prince or superior in the Sultanate of Oman.
Contents |
| Language | Transliteration | Areas spoken |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | Sayyid, Sayyidi, Sayyed, Sayid, Sidi (Maghrebi) | Arab world |
| Azerbaijani | Seyid, Seyyid | Azerbaijan, Iran |
| Baluchi | Sayyid Sayeed, Sayyed, Sayid | Baluchistan region |
| Indonesia | Sayyid, Sayid | Indonesia |
| Kurdish | Seyid, Seyyid, Seyit | Kurdish region |
| Malay | Syed | Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore |
| Pashto | Sayed, Syed | Afghanistan and Pakistan |
| Persian | Sayyed, Sayed, Seyyed, Saiyed, Saeid, Siyyid | Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan |
| Punjabi | Sayed, Syed | Pakistan, India |
| Seraiki, Sindhi | Sayed, Syed | Pakistan |
| Turkish | Seyed, Seyit, Seyyid, Seyyed | Turkey, Azerbaijan and Central Asia |
| Bosnian | Seid, Sait, Sead, Sajid, Sejjid, Sejad | Bosnia, Sandzak |
| Urdu, Marathi, Hindi,Assamese,Konkani, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati | Syed, Saiyad, Saiyed, Sayyid, Saiyed, Saiyid, Sayyed | South Asia |
| Spanish | Cid | Al-Andalus |
| Other | Siyyid |
People chose different Romanised (Latinized) transliterations based on the language with which they are familiar, not necessarily on the place where they are living. For example there are Muslim immigrants from many different countries living in London, UK. Immigrants of Arab origin may use the transliteration "sayyid" whilst immigrants of South Asian origin may use "Syed", this tendency may be extended to all ethnic communities. The name, however, could also be an anglicized form of the common Arabic name Sa‘id, with -y- as in 'shy', 'fly', etc.
| Language | Title | Areas spoken |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | Sharif, Habib | Arab world |
| Pashto, Urdu, Saraiki, Punjabi | Shah, Agha, Saab, Badshah, Mir | Pakistan and Afghanistan |
| Sindhi | Shah, Sain, Saab, Makhdoom, Mir | Sindh, Pakistan. |
| Malay | Sharifah, Syarifah | Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei |
| Malayalam | Thangal[citation needed] | Kerala, India |
| Gujarati | Sayedna, Syedna, Sayednah | Northwest India |
| Urdu, Punjabi | Shah, Shah Ji, Pir, Pir Sahib | Pakistan, India |
| Persian | Mir, Mirza | Iran |
| Bengali, Malay | Shah, Agha, Saab, Mir | South and South East Asia |
Other Arabic honorific terms include sheikh and sharif. The line of Hassani sayyids who ruled Mecca, Medina, Iraq and now rule in Jordan, the Hashemites, bore the title 'sharif' (plu. Ashraf). 'Sharif' is reserved for descendants of Hassan while 'Sayyid' is used for descendants of Husayn. However ever since the post-Hashemite era began, the term 'Sayyid' has been used to denote descendants from both Hassan and Husayn. Arab Shiites use the term 'Sayyid' and 'Habib' to denote descendants from both Hassan and Husayn.
However Many Sayyids around the world are Fake Sayyids and claim descent of the Prophet. This is because they want to gain respect and authority. Many of these sayyids provided fake documents and fake lineages, or steal a person's lineage and claim that they are sayyids. The numbers are in millions. Many of the Fake sayyids are located in Arab Countries, Iran, Pakistan, India, and many countries around the world.
Sayyids often include the following titles in their names to indicate the figure from whom they trace their descent. If they are descended from more than one notable ancestor or Shi'a Imam, they will use the title of the ancestor from whom they are most directly descended.
| Ancestor | Arabic Title | Arabic Last Name | Persian Last Name | Urdu Last Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ali ibn Abu Talib | Alawi2 | Allawi2 or Alawi3 | Alavi2 علوى | Alavi
2 or Awan |
| Hasan ibn Ali | al-Hashimi or al-Hassani | al-Hashimi or al-Hassani | Hashemi, Hassani, or Tabatabai حسنى | Hassani or Hashmi |
| Husayn ibn Ali | al-Hussaini | al-Hussaini1 | Hosseini حسينى | Hussaini or Shah |
| Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al Abidin | al-Abidi | al-Abidi | Abedi عابدى | Abidi |
| Zayd ibn Ali ash-Shahid | az-Zaidi | al-Zaidi | Zaidi زيدي | Zaidi |
| Muhammad al-Baqir | al-Baqiri | al-Baqiri | Bagheri باقرى | Baqri |
| Jafar as-Sadiq | al-Ja'fari | al-Ja'fari | Jafari or Jafri جعفرى | Jafri, Jafry or Jaffery |
| Musa al-Kadhim | Al Mosawi | al-Mousawi or al-Kadhimi | Musavi or Kazemi موسوى / كاظمى | Kazmi or Mosavi |
| Isma'il ibn Jafar | al-Isma'ili | al-Ismai'li | Ismaili | Ismaili |
| Ali ar-Rida | ar-Radawi | al-Ridawi or al-Radawi | Rezavi or Razavi رضوى | Rizvi |
| Muhammad at-Taqi | at-Taqawi | al-Taqawi | Taghavi تقوى | Taqvi or Taqwi |
| Ali al-Hadi | an-Naqawi | al-Naqawi | Naqavi نقوى | Naqvi |
| Al-Abbas ibn Ali | al-Abbasi2 | al-Abbasi2 | Abbasi2 | Abbasi2 |
NOTE: (For non-Arabic speakers) When transliterating Arabic words into English there are two approaches.
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 Zahra, such as Umm al Baneen/Fatima bint Hizam. Those who limit the term Sayyid to descendants of Muhammad through Fatima Zahra, will not consider Allawis/Alavis to be Sayyids.
3This transliteration is usually reserved for Alawi sect.
There are Shiite and Sunni Sayyid families in Yemen, they include the Rassids, the Qasimids, the Mutawakkilites, the Al-Zaidi of Ma'rib, Sana'a and Sa'dah, Al-Saqqaf, etc...
There are many Sayyids in the Arab world and many of them formed their own tribes or sticked to their original tribe Banu Hashim. In Iraq, There are many Sayyids especially the South region of Iraq. These Sayyids formed their own tribes such as Al-Yaseri, Al-Zaidi, Al-A'araji and many more. There are Sayyids in nearly every city in Iraq.
There are sayyids in Iraq of Iranian origin, Many geneologists calim that these sayyids who came from Iran to Iraq are fake not all, but most. 85%-90% of the sayyids in Iraq are Shia Muslims. Many sayyids in Iraq joined many Arab tribes centuries ago specially in Southern Iraq. Because They used to be tortured and murdered. Many of them migrated from Iraq to Asian and many countries around the world. These sayyids have joined tribes in Iraq are still now protected by the tribe. Geneologists calim that the sayyids who have joined the tribes in Iraq are Real Sayyids.
There are many Sayyids in Saudi Arabia, families such as Al-Hashimi, Al-Alawi, Al-Hussaini, Al--Hassani and many more.
Sayyids are located in nearly every Arab Country, it includes the real and the fake.
There are Sayyids in Asia, but many of these Sayyids are actully normal citizens who later out of a sudden claimed descent of the Prophet. They faked documents, lineages and family trees so they can gain respect and authority. Many of these Sayyids dont have any documents or family trees to claim descent of the Prophet.
Some Sayyid families in South Asia claim direct relationship with the Prophet of Islam through his daughter Fâtimah and son-in-law Ali.However, living with Indian society, Muslims got effected with the cast / sects tradition of ancient India, which prompted, some newly converts to establish family lineage to early Syed or Ansari of Arabia. However, they claim their ancestors migrated from different parts of Iran and Central Asia Turkestan, during the invasion of Mongol Halaku and other periods of turmoil. They migrated through Herat in Afghanistan to different parts of modern Pakistan and India. These migrations occurred during the periods of Mahmud Ghaznavi, Delhi Sultanate and Mughals and continued till late into 19th century. Most sufi saints whose lineage is being traced to Prophet Muhammad also migrated during the early periods of Delhi Sultanate and Mughals. Some of the early migrant Sayyids moved deep to the peninsular part of India, in the region of Deccan plateau in the reign of Bahmani Sultanate/Bahmani kings and later Qutb Shahi kings of Golconda, Nizam Shahi of Ahmadnagar, and other kingdoms of Bijapur, Bidar and Berar. Most probably, authentic Saayids or people of Arab ancestory are found in mostly Kerala, Deccans and Gujarat. Most of the Sayyids in India are of dubious origin regarding their origin.
The history of Sayyids or Syeds in South Asia dates back to more than 1000 years. Several Syeds visited India as merchants along with the general Arab traders. These Sayyids came from Iraq and were all Shi'a Muslims. Many Sayyids then converted to Sunni Islam by force They also ruled over India (Delhi Sultanate) during the period 1414-1451. Except for this brief period of India's history, Syeds or Sayyids were mostly connected to business activities. The notable Syeds of South Asia include Abul Hassan Ali Hajvery aka Data Ganj Bakhsh, Moinuddin Chishti, Khwaja Qutbuddin Baktiyar Kaki, Nizamuddin Auliya, Nasiruddin Muhammad Chirag-e-Dehli,Khaja Mahboobullah,Deccan, Muhammad Hussaini Gisudaraz Bandanawaz, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Akbar Allahabadi, the Shahi Imams of Delhi ,Syed Shahbuddin and Ashraf Jahangir simnani[citation needed].
The Joshua Project reported that 6,944,000 people self-describing as Sayyids in India.[2] Largest States Of the Syeds in India are the Uttar Pradesh (1,469,000), the Maharashtra (1,129,000), the Karnataka (783,000), the Andhra Pradesh (729,000), the Rajasthan (624,000), the Tamil Nadu (573,000), the Bihar (425,000), the West Bengal (379,000), the Madhya Pradesh (310,000), and the Gujarat (250,000). These are people who claim descent of the prophet, It will include real Sayyids and Fake Sayyids.
And the Major Languages Spoken by the Sayyids of India. Urdu (4,919,000 Speakers), Bengali (292,000), Telugu (141,000), Marwari (125,000), Tamil (117,000), Gujarati (109,000). This includes real Sayyids and fake Sayyids.
The Joshua Project reported that 6,471,000 people self-describing as Sayyids in Pakistan.[3] Largest Provinces on file: the Sindh (3,150,000), the Punjab (1,824,000), the NWFP (436,000), the Balochistan (172,000), the Azad Kashmir (158,000) and Islamabad (29,000).
Major Languages Spoken by the Sayyids of Pakistan are Punjabi, Western (1,748,000 Speakers), Sindhi (1,507,000), Urdu (1,317,000), Seraiki (366,000), Pashto Northern (103,000) This includes real Sayyids and fake Sayyids
Kirani (N 30.17 E 66.94) is an historical village lying five miles west of Quetta city, capital of Baluchistan province of Pakistan on the outskirts of the Chiltan range. Syed's of Kirani owning to their great sanctity and influence among the local tribesmen
1,044,000 people self-describing as Sayyids in Bangladesh.[4] Languages spoken by the Sayyid's of Bangladesh are Bengali (741,000 Speakers), Chittagonian (67,000), Sylheti (46,000), Urdu (5,100), Farsi, Eastern (Dari) (700), Kok Borok: Noatia (80) This includes real Sayyids and fake Sayyids
People will need to be careful when they claim descent of the prophet. Many people think they are sayyids because they grandparents told them so. Joshuaproject calculated the Sayyids in Asia but does not know who are the fake and real Sayyids are, which will be very hard to tell.
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