Sayyid

Sayyid (meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ) is an honorific surname of Muslims recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad 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).
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 valour and leadership. The word is derived from the verb sāda, meaning to rule. The surname seyyid/sayyid existed before Islam, however not in light of a specific descent, but as a meritocratic sign of respect.
Hans Wehr 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" when referring to a descendant of Muhammad, as for example in Sayyid Ali Sultan.
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 Monimoto 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. This gives reasons to think that this title is founded later on. Monimoto 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 headquarter, on which occasion it is known as the Ziyarat Naqshband Sahab today.
Sunni Islam
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. 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.
Shia Islam
In Shia Islam, with the advent of the Safavids a male person with a non-Sayyid father and a Sayyida mother claims the title of Mirza. Shiites only demand a patrilineal lineage to Ali ibn Abi Talib according to Khamenei, regarding Sayyid solely as a patrilineal tribalistic title by birth.
Statistics
Although reliable statistics are unavailable, conservative estimates put the number of Sayyids in the tens of millions.
Traditions
Traditionally, Islam has had a rich history of the veneration of relics, especially of those attributed to Muhammad. The most genuine prophetic relics are believed to be those housed in the Hirkai Serif Odasi (Chamber of the Holy Mantle) in Istanbul's Topkapı Palace.
Indication of descent
The indication of descendants of Muhammad through the Twelve Imams via surnames in Arabic, Persian and Urdu include the following:
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 is disputed by many people. Some genealogies of Middle Eastern and Central Asian families (mostly from Persia), East Africa (mostly in Somaliland 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. 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, 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, 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, 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 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:
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-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 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, and southern Iraq in order to create a state clergy. The Safavids offered them land and money in return for loyalty. 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.
Bahrain
In Bahrain Sayyids are used to refer to great-grandchildren of Muhammed. Sayyids are found every where and in vast populations although number contradict. Sayyids started living in Bahrain since the beginning of the 8th century. The Bahrainis supported, 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 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 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 Zayd ibn Suhan is still visited in Bahrain and is called by Bahrainis as Prince Zaid, as well as the tomb of the great companion Sa'sa'a bin Sohan Al Abdi who is buried in Bahrain.
Oman
In Oman, Sayyid is not used for descendants of Muhammad, but by members of the Al Said ruling royal family, who have no connection to Muhammad. 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 are hereditary through paternal lineage or in some exceptional circumstances, such as an honorary title given by royal decree. Members of the Al Said 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 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, 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 Sunni Sayyids are mostly credited for preaching and consolidating the religion of Islam. They are predominantly descendants of leading saints of Sunni faith that migrated from Persia to preach Islam of which the Persian Sayyid Moinuddin Chishti has set the cornerstone. Thus Moinuddin Chishti is regarded as Sultan-i-Hindustan in Islamic Theology. The following saints and their descendants are most well known:
Sayyid Haji Muhammad Noshah Ganj Baksh Qadiri
Sayyid Abdul Latif Shah, known as Bari Imam Sarkar
Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani
Sayyid Jalaluddin Surkh Posh Bukhari
Sayyid Awn Qutb Shah Wali
Sayyid Abdul Wahab Gilani, son of Sayyid Abdul Qadir Gilani
Sayyid Musa Pak Shaheed (ancestor of Yusuf Raza Gillani) and Sayyid Habeeb Shah Gilani (Teacher of Sultan Bahoo)
Sayyid Moinuddin Chishti
Sayyid Imam Ali Shah Qalandar
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
Sayyid Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar
Bahauddin Naqshband
Hazrat Ishaan
Moinuddin Hadi Naqshband
Sayyid Mir Jan
Sayyid Mahmud Agha
Sayyid Mir Fazlullah Agha
Tajuddin Muhammad Badruddin
Pir Baba
Shaal Pir Baba
Maudood Chishti
Wali Kirani
Khwaja Abdullah Chishti
Ibrahim Yukpasi
Shah Sayyid Nasruddin
Sayyid Masud Al-Hussaini
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 or Uttar Pradesh, 29 per cent of the Shia Muslim belong to haplogroup J, 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 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), 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, 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.
Afghan royal family
Within the Afghan Royal family Her Royal Highness Princess Sayyida Rahima Dakik (d.2006) a member of Sayyid Mir Jan's powerful Sayyid ul Sadaat Clan that claims hereditary succession to Prophet Muhammad, married the UN ambassador and minister Prince Abdul Khaliq from the Telai branch of the Muhammadzai Dynasty, making both their descendants the only multilinieal cognatic Sayyids within the Afghan Royal family.
Iranian Royal Family
Qajar
Within the Qajar Dynasty, the Nizari-Ismaili Imam Agha Khan I married with the daughter of Fath Ali Shah Qajar, bestowing confirmed royalty upon their descendants. Until today Prince Karim Aga Khan and his descendants bear the title Prince, in virtue of his lineage to Fath Ali Shah Qajar. However many Sunni Historians deny the descent of the First Fatimid Caliph Ubaidullah al Mahdi-billah to Prophet Muhammad. They thus polemically call them Ubaydids instead of Fatimids.
Pahlavi
Within the Pahlavi Dynasty, the former Empress of Iran Farah Diba Pahlavi, also claims descent from Muhammad through her paternal grandfather Mehdi Diba.
GCC Royal families
UAE
The Al Qasimi ruling family that rules over Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah trace their lineage back to Muhammad in the line of the 10th Imam Ali al Hadi.
Qatar
Within the Qatari ruling Family, descendants of Muhammad are present within the descendants of the Emir Sheikh Ali ibn Abdullah al Thani on the occasion of intermarriages with the Al Qasimi Dynasty. A UAE Princess from the al Qasimi ruling family, called Sheikha Sheikha bint Muhammad al Qasimi married with Muhammad bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Thani. Together they issued a son who is a Qatari-Sharjan Aviation Statesman called Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed. His son is the first descendant of Muhammad to climb Mt. Everest. Another UAE Princess called Sheikha Hind bint Faisal Al Qasimi married Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud al Thani, issuing only one son.
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.
Sherifs of Mecca
Jordan
The Hashemite Royal family of Jordan also claims descent from Muhammad in the line of the Sherifs 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 pratriarch was Sharif ibn Ali, who founded the dynasty.
See also
Family tree of Muhammad
Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, most probable originator of the title, influencing the Sunni opinion of definition
Hazrat Ishaan, succeeding Hamadani's clerical legacy
Mir (Persian Princes of the Sayyids)
Naqib (Arabian Sheikhs of the Sayyids)
Safavid Empire, whose clerics influenced the Shiite opinion of definition
Notes
References
Sources
Fatima
Islamic honorifics
Arabic words and phrases
Hashemite people
Descendants of individuals