Sayyid (Arabic: سَيِّد, romanized: Sayyid) is an honorific title used by Muslims to denote descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, particularly those descended through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan and Husayn. Sayyids are found throughout the Muslim world and their lineages vary, with many tracing their ancestry to different descendants of Muhammad. However, Musawi Sayyids, who trace their lineage to the seventh Shia Imam Musa al-Kazim, are among the most numerous and widespread, due to the large number of children he had. Sayyids are often identified by genealogical records and family trees tracing their ancestry back to the Prophet Muhammad.
Etymology The title Syed (Sayyid/Sayed) gains special significance in Islam through the hadith in which Muhammad said: "Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn are the two masters (Syeds) of the youth of Paradise" (الحسنُ والحسينُ سيِّدا شبابِ أهلِ الجنَّةِ). This hadith is recorded in Sahih al-Tirmidhi and other collections. Muhammad's use of the term "Syed" for his grandsons elevated the honorific, which later became widely used for the descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and her son Husayn ibn Ali, particularly through Ali al-Sajjad, symbolizing noble lineage and honored status.
A few Arabic language experts state that "Sayyid" 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 seyyed/sayyid/syed/sayyad/saeed/said 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 title Syed (Sayyid/Sayed) is a genealogical honorific for Muhammad's descendants whose formal use emerged in the early Islamic period shortly after Muhammad's death in 632 CE, becoming established during the 7th century through the descendants of Husayn ibn Ali, particularly through Ali al-Sajjad. A later title, Sharif, often linked to the genealogy of Hasan ibn Ali, developed stronger political connotations from around the 10th century onward under the Fatimid Caliphate, particularly in the context of the Sharifate of Mecca.
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 Baha' al-Din 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 Shafi'ite 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-Sani" (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.Tazkare Khwanadane Hazrat Eshan (genealogy of the family of Hazrat Eshan)(by author and investigator:Muhammad Yasin Qasvari Naqshbandi company:Edara Talimat Naqshbandiyya Lahore)p. 58Suraiya Gull in "Development of Sufi Kubraviya Order with Special Reference to Mir Saiyid Ali Hamadani", p. 8
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 NaqshbandiyyaDamurdashi, ed. Muhammad, p. 43.Imber and Kiyotaki, p. 198. 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
Iraq The Sayyid families in Iraq are so numerous that there are books written especially to list the families and connect their trees. These families include: the Al-Talqani, Al-Habbobi, Al-Yassiri, Al-Aqiqi, Al-Nasrullah, Al-Wahab, Al-Hashimi, Al-Quraishi, Al-Mar'ashi, Al-Witri, 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), and many others.Reclaiming Iraq: The 1920 Revolution and the Founding of the Modern State By Abbas Kadhimالبغداديون أخبارهم ومجالسهم By إبراهيم عبد الغني الدروبي - مطبعة الرابطة - Baghdad 1958 – مجلس آل الوتري (House of Al-Witry Council) - Page 78.الكلية الطبية الملكية العراقية من خلال سيرة ذاتية، ج 1 (الطبعة الأولى). بيروت: المؤسسة العربية للدراسات والنشر. (هاشم الوتري - Hashim Al-Witry) Pages 180-181.
Iran Sayyids () 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.Six million people of Iran's population are Sadaat (Sayyid) / Tehran and Mazandaran (provinces) are the record owner of Sadaats in the country farsnews.ir1 February 2018 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 Shi'ism 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 Amil (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 Shi'ism, made it accessible to the population, and energetically encouraged conversion to Shi'ism. 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, al-Ja'fari, Emami, Arabi, Ahmadi, Zaidi, Imamzadeh, Sherazi, 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 Bu 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 Bu 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 Marib, Sanaa, and Saada, the Ba 'Alawi sadah families in Hadhramaut, Mufadhal of Sanaa, Al-Shammam of Saada, the Sufyan of Juban, and the Al-Jaylani of Juban.A Tribal Order: Politics And Law in the Mountains of Yemen By Shelagh WeirFrom Religious Leaders to Ordinary Citizens The Changing Role of "Sadah" in Yemen By Mohammed Al-Asadi
Central/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 Sunni Islam that migrated from Persia to preach Islam in Islamic Theology.Mohammada in The Foundations of the Composite Culture in India, p. 170Wani in Islam in Kashmir Fourteenth to Sixteenth Century, p. 147
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 (Tadhkira). 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 Bamyan 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 Ghazi Saiyyad 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 Sayyid Ma'ruf al-Din Ghazi and his family lived in Tijara until 1857 before they migrated to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. Syed Ahmed Rizvi Kashmiri and Khan Bahadur Aga Syed Hussain were both Rizvi Sayyids through Aqa Mir Sayyid Hussain Qumi Rizvi, whose sacred shrine is in the Zainagir Village of Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir. Iraqi Sayyids or Iraqi Biradri in Purvanchal are descendants of Sayyid Masud Al Hussaini who was the direct descendant of Muhammad's grandson Husayn ibn Ali and came to India from Iraq during the reign of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1330 CE. He settled with his seven sons and forty champions in Ghazipur 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 CE. His Shia descendants are now known as Sayyids of Ghazipur.
Sayyids of Syed Nagli, or the Baquari Syeds had migrated from Termez (Present day Uzbekistan) during the Sultanate era. Sikandar Khan Lodi was the ruler of Delhi when Mir Syed Muhammad 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.