Sayyid

Not to be confused with Sa‘id.

"Seyd" redirects here. For the village in Iran, see Seyd, Iran.

For use as a given name, see Sayyid (name).

Sayyid (pronounced [ˈsæjjɪd], or [ˈsæjjed], Arabic: سيد‎; meaning Mister) (plural Sadah Arabic: سادة‎, Sādah) is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who is the decendant of Ishmael and Abraham- through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Daughters of 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 the title Mirza for males or Mirziya for females,or they will claim the title Amir or Mir for males. Sayyids are by definition a branch of the tribe of Banu Hashim, a clan from the tribe of Quraish that traces its lineage to Adnan and thence to the Prophet Ismael.

In the Arab world, it is the equivalent of the English word "liege-lord" or "master" when referring to a descendant of Muhammad, as in Sayyid John Smith. This is the reason the word sidi (from the contracted form sayyidī, 'my liege') is used in the Arabic. Some Sayyids take the title Sheikh.

Sayyid are of Semitic origin. Sayyids are traditionally Shia Muslims, in the past and the present. They originally came from the Arabian Peninsula during the time of the Prophet Muhammad but most migrated during times of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphate to modern-day Iraq, Azerbaijan, Iran, Central Asia and the Indo-Pak continent. Today they are located anywhere in the world, many have migrated, to Europe, Australia and North America

'Sayyid' literally means Mister or Sir. In the Arab world, the word is the equivalent of the English "Mister", as in Sayyid John Smith. The same concept is expressed by the word sidi (from the contracted form sayyidī 'my lord') in Arabic. However in the modern era, the term 'Sayyid' has been used to denote descendants from both Hassan and Husayn. Arab Shi'ites use the term 'Sayyid' and 'Habib' to denote descendants from both Hassan and Husayn.

Husayn.

Indication of descent

Sayyids are of Arab and Semitic origins. The Sayyids are a branch of the tribe of Banu Hashim, a clan from the tribe of Quraish, which traces its lineage to Adnan, whose lineage traces back to the Prophet Ishmael the son of the Prophet Abraham. 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. Most Sayyid in the modern era and in the past have been predominantly Shia Muslim. 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 style	Arabic Last Name	Persian Last Name	Urdu Last Name
Hasan ibn Ali	al-Hashimi or al-Hassani الحسني او الهاشمي	al-Hashimi or al-Hassani الحسني او الهاشمي	Hashemi, Hassani, or Tabatabai حسنى	Hassani or Hasani حسنی or Hashemi or Hashmi هاشمي
Husayn ibn Ali	al-Hussaini الحُسيني	al-Hussaini1 الحُسيني	Husseini حسینى	Hussaini or Husaini حسینی
Ali ibn Husayn	al-Abidi العابدي	al-Abidi العابدي	Abedi عابدى	Abidi or Abdi عابدی
Zayd ibn Ali	az-Zaidi الزيدي	al-Zaidi الزيدي	Zaidi زیدی	Zaidi زیدی
Muhammad al-Baqir	al-Baqiri الباقري	al-Baqiri الباقري	Baqeri باقرى	Baqri باقری
Jafar as-Sadiq	al-Ja'fari الجعفري	al-Ja'fari الجعفري	Jafari جعفرى	Jafri, Jafry or Jaffery جعفری
Musa al-Kadhim	al-Mousawi الموسوي او الكاظمي	al-Mousawi or al-Kadhimi الموسوي او الكاظمي	Moosavi or Kazemi موسوى / کاظمى	Kazmi کاظمی
Ali ar-Rida	ar-Radawi الرضوي	al-Ridawi or al-Radawi الرضوي	Razavi or Rezavi رضوى	Rizvi or Rizavi رضوی
Muhammad at-Taqi	at-Taqawi التقوي	al-Taqawi التقوي	Taqawi تقوى	Taqvi تقوی
Ali al-Hadi	an-Naqawi التقوي	al-Naqawi التقوي	Naqawi نقوى	Naqvi نقوی

NOTE: (For non-Arabic speakers) When transliterating Arabic words into English there are two approaches.

• 1. The user may transliterate the word letter for letter, e.g. "الزيدي" becomes "a-l-z-ai-d-i".

• 2. The user may transcribe the pronunciation of the word, e.g. "الزيدي" becomes "a-zz-ai-d-i". This is because in Arabic grammar, some consonants (n, r, s, sh, t and z) cancel the l (ل) from the word "the" al (ال) (see Sun and moon letters). When the user sees the prefixes an, ar, as, ash, at, az, etc... this means the word is the transcription of the pronunciation.

• An i, wi (Arabic), or vi (Persian) ending could perhaps be translated by the English suffixes ite or ian. The suffix transforms a personal name, or a place name, into the name of a group of people connected by lineage or place of birth. Hence Ahmad al-Hassani could be translated as Ahmad, the descendant of Hassan and Ahmad al-Manami as Ahmad from the city of Manami. For further explanation, see Arabic names.

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 the Alawi sect.

In the Arab world

In Arab world Sayyid families (descendant of Prophet Muhammad) can be found in Egypt, Libya, Qatar, UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Palistene, Iraq, Yemen, etc.

Sayyids in Yemen

In Yemen the sayyids are more generally known as sadah, and also referred to as Hashemites. In terms of religious practice they are Shia, Sunni and Sufi. Sayyid families in Yemen include the Rassids, the Qasimids, the Mutawakkilites, the Hamideddins, Al-Zaidi, the Ba'Alawi sadah and Al-Saqqaf in Hadramauwt, Al-Wazir of Sana'a and others.

Sayyids in Qatar and United Arab Emirates

The Sayyid families in Qatar and UAE are Hadharem (Arabic: الحضارم) or Hadhrami (Arabic: حضرمي) from Yemen. Some of the families are the Al-Saqqaf/AlSaggaf, Al-Hashmi, Abu-Futtaim, Baharoon, Bin Shahbal, Balhabak, Al-Junaidi, Bawazir, Al-Aidroos, Al-Amoudi and others. These families belong to a common tribe of Banū Hāshim (Arabic: بني هاشم), a clan from the tribe of Quraish that traces its lineage to Adnan. It derives its name from Hashim, the great-grandfather of Muḥammad - (محمد), and along with the Banu Abd Shams, Banu Al-Muttalib, and Banu Nawfal clans comprises the Banu Abd al-Manaf section of the Quraysh. The members of the Banu Hashim clan tribes are also known as Ahl al-Bayt (Arabic: أهل البيت). Members of this clan are referred to by the Anglicised version of their name as Hashemites, Hashmi, Hussaini or Hasani. Descendants of Banu Hashim usually carry the titles Sayyid/Sayyida, Syed, Habeeb, AlHabeeb or Sharif/Shareefa, an honorific title popularly used for the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad's family, especially from his second grandson Husayn.

Sayyids in Iraq

Some of the Sayyid families in Iraq are the Al-Hashimi, Al-Yasiri, Al-Zaidi, Al-A'araji, Al-Hassani, Al-Hussaini, Tabatabaei, Al-Alawi, Al-Ghawalib (Al-Ghalibi), Al-Musawi, Shubbar , Al-Awadi (not to be confused with the Al-Awadhi Huwala family), Al-Sabzewari, Al-Hayali and others.

Sayyids in Libya

Further information: List of Ashraf tribes in Libya

The Sayyids in Libya are Sunni, including the former royal family which is originally Zaidi-Moroccan (also known as Senussi family).

In South Asia

An oil painting of Khair-un-Nissa, a Sayyida noblewoman from the princely state of Hyderabad by George Chinnery.

In 1901 the total number of Sayyids in British India was 1,339,734. Recent estimates show that in South Asia there are more than fifteen million Sayyids; seven million in India and six to seven million in Pakistan. Descendants of Prophet Muhammad in India By K D L Khan, Published on: January 14, 2012]</ref>

Sayyid migrated many centuries ago from different parts of the Arab world, Iran, Central Asia and Turkestan, during the invasion of Mongols and other periods of turmoil during the periods of Mahmud Ghaznavi, Delhi Sultanate and Mughals and until the late 19th century. Sayyids migrated to Sindh in North and settled there very early, other early migrant Sayyids moved deep South to the region of Deccan plateau in the time of the Bahmani Sultanate and later Qutb Shahi kings of Golconda, Nizam Shahi of Ahmadnagar and other kingdoms of Bijapur, Bidar and Berar. Several visited India as merchants or escaped from Abbasid, Umayyad and Ottoman empires. Their name figures in Indian history at the breakup of the Mughal empire, when the Sayyid Brothers created and dethroned Emperors at their will (1714–1720). The first Mohammedans appointed to the Council of India and the first appointed to the Privy Council were both Sayyids.

Several visited India as merchants or escaped from Abbasid, Umayyad and Ottoman empires. Their name figures in Indian history at the breakup of the Mughal empire, when the Sayyid Brothers created and dethroned Emperors at their will (1714–1720). The first Mohammedans appointed to the Council of India and the first appointed to the Privy Council were both Sayyids. Many Sayyid were also settled in the countryside, and one such example were the Saadat-e-Bara, who ancestors came from Central Asia, and were granted estates near Meerut and Muzaffarnagar. This community played an important role in the politics of the Mughal Empire. Another branch of this famous clan are the Sayyid of the town of Bilgram in Awadh. Most of these Sayyid families came from Central Asia and Iran, but some also originate from Yemen, Oman, Iraq and Bahrain.

Perhaps the most important figure in the history of the Sayyid in India was Sayyid Basrullah Shustari, who moved from Mashhad in Iran in 1549 and joined the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Akbar later appointed Shustari as his chief justice, and Shustari used his position to strengthen the position of the various Sayyid families. They were preferred in administrative posts, and formed privileged elite. When the Mughal Empire disintegrated, the Sayyid played an important role in turbulent politics of the time. The new British colonial authorities that replaced the Mughals after the Battle of Buxar also made a pragmatic decision to work the with various Sayyid jagirdars. Several Sayyid taluqdars in Awadh were substantial landowners under the British colonial regime, and many other Sayyid still played their part in the administration of the state.

Khair-un-Nissa was the first Sayyid Woman to marry a non Sayyid and non-Muslim of European origin. She was a local Hyderabadi noblewoman, and the granddaughter of Sayyid Nawab Mahmood Ali Shustari, the Prime minister of Hyderabad. She married the English Ambassador of East India Company at Hyderabad Court, James Kirkpatrick and he converted to Shia Islam as soon as he got married and soon adopted local customs and had two children, a son, Mir Ghulam Ali Sahib Allum and a daughter, Noor-un-Nissa Sahib Begum, who were later known in England as William George Kirkpatrick and Katherine Aurora also known as Kitty Kirkpatrick. The book White Mughals, a large part of the book by the historian William Dalrymple, concerns a detailed factual version of Kirkpatrick's relationship with Khair-un-Niss and about their family and life.

Sayyid currently in Indian continent

In India, Sayyid are found throughout Uttar Pradesh, with Faizabad, Raibareli, Hallaur, Wasa Dargah, Lucknow, Barabanki, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Allahabad, Amroha, Meerut and Aligarh home to large Sayyid communities. They are also found in Gujarat with Ahmadabad, Mangrol, Junagadh, and Keshool. In Gujarat, the Sayyid have ten sub-divisions, the main ones being the Shirazi, Mattari, Bukhari, Naqvi, Tirmizi, Zaidi, Rifai, Bhaktari, Qadiris, Chishti, Mahdavi, Kitoi, Mashadi, Idrusi, and Bahraini. Of these, the Bukhari Sayyids are perhaps the most well-known. Their forebear, Syed Burhanuddin Qutb-Alam was the advisor of Sultan Muzaffar Shah, the first Muslim Sultan of Gujarat. Even better known was his son Shah Alam, who flourished during the reigns of Qutibudin Shah and Mahmud Begada. It played an important in the medieval and early modern history of Gujarat, and now divided into several branches.

Other prominent Sayyid includes the Mahdavi family. They are now found mainly in Palampur and Dabhoi, and claim descent form Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri, the founder of the sect and his son in law Syed Khundmir. They generally speak Urdu, and most also understand the various dialects of Hindi. The Sayyid is divided along sectarian lines, especially in the Awadh region. They are further divided into discreat endigamous clans, bases on territorial groupings. The most important ones are the Saadat-e-Jais Saadat-e-Bara, Sadaat Amroha, Sadaat-e-Barabanki, Sayyids of Hallaur, Sadaat-e-Bilgram and Sadaat-e-Barn. Other groupings include the Alavi, Abidi, Baqari, Barcha, Bukhari, Jafari, Jalali, Kazmi, Naqvi, Rizvi, Tirmizi and Zaidi, each claiming descent from a particular Shia Imam. 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.

Historically the Sayyid were substantial landowners, often absentees, and this was especially the case with the Awadh taluqdars. In the urban townships, Sayyid families served as priests, teachers and administrators, with the British colonial authorities given the community a preference in recruitment. Though they are less than 3% of Muslim population, they control a majority of economic resources. The community also has a very high literacy rate. The independence and partition of India in 1947 was traumatic for the community, with many families becoming divided, with some members moved to Pakistan. This was followed by the abolishment of the zamindari system, where land was redistributed to those who till the land. Many Sayyid who remained on the land are now medium and small scale farmers. While in the urban areas, there has been a shift towards modern occupations.

In India

In India, Sayyids of Hadramawt (who originated mainly from the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf) gained widespread fame.

The Sayyid population in India is distributed. Total population of Sayyids in India is 7,017,000. Largest States being: Uttar Pradesh (1,493,000), Maharashtra (1,108,000), Karnataka (766,000), Andhra Pradesh (727,000), Rajasthan (497,000), Bihar (419,000), West Bengal (372,000), Madhya Pradesh (307,000), Gujarat (245,000), Tamil Nadu (206,000). Sayyids are also found in the North-Eastern state of Assam, where locally they are also referred to as Dawans.

Sayyids in North India

The earliest migration of Saiyeds from Iran to North India took place in 1032 AD when Saiyed Salaar Dawood Ghazi (General and brother-in-law of Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi) and his son Saiyed Salaar Masud Ghazi esatablised their military headquarter at Satrikh (16 km from Zaidpur) in district Barabanki, U.P. They are considered to be first Muslim settlers in north India. In 1033 AD Saiyed Salaar Masud Ghazi martyred in the historic battle of Gonda, his famous Mazaar is at Bahraich. Saiyed Salaar Masud Ghazi had no son and daughter. In 462 Hijri/1070 AD Saiyed Abdullah ‘Zar-baqsh’ migrated from the city of Qom in medieval Persia to the place which is now known as Zaidpur in district Barabanki, U.P. He was a Rizvi/Taqvi Saiyed and 14th in decent from Paighamber Mohammad Sahab. Saiyed Abdullah ‘Zar-baqsh’ married Bibi Yadgaar Bano the daughter of Saiyed Salaar Dawood Ghazi of Satrikh. Saiyed Abdullah Zar-Baksh established the town Zaidpur and named the place after his only son Saiyed Zaid (born 462 Hijri/1070 AD).

Sayyids from Iran initially chose four places to settle in North India. These were Hallaur, Baraha, Mohan and Bilgram. Sa'daat of Barha, Bilgram and Amroha are few of the wellknown groups of Sayyids around the world.

The ancestor of Bārha Sayyids, Syed Abu'l Farah left his original home in Wasit, Iraq, with his twelve sons at the end of tirteenth century (or in the biginning of fourteenth century) and migrated to India, where he obtained four villages in Sirhind, By the sixteenth century Abu'l Farah's descendants had taken over Bārha villages in Muzzafarnagar.

Sayyids of Mohan descend from one of the descendants of the Imam Raza, Sayyid Mahmood Neshapuri who migrated to India from Iran and settled in Mohan. One of the branch of Moosavi and Nishapuri Sayyids from Mohan settled at Bijnor, near Lucknow.

Sayyids of Bilgram are Hussaini Sayyids, they first migrated from Wasit, Iraq in the thirteenth century. Their ancestor, Syed Mohammad Sughra, a Zaidi Sayyid of Iraq arrived in India during the rule of Sultan Iltutmish. In 13th century the family conquered and settled in Bilgram.

In addition, many of the early Sufi saints that came to North India belonged to Sayyid families. Most of these Sayyid families came from Central Asia and Iran, but some also originate from Yemen, Oman, Iraq and Bahrain. Perhaps the most famous Sufi was Syed Salar Masud, from whom many of the Sayyid families of Awadh claim their descent. Sayyids of Jarwal (Bahraich), Kintoor (Barabanki) and Zaidpur (Barabanki) were wellknown Taluqadars (feudal lords) of Awadh province.

Sayyids in Gujarat

In Gujarat, most of the Sayyid families are descended from individuals invited by the Muslim rulers of Gujarat, as advisor and administrators, and granted jagirs. During the period of Sultan Mahamud Beghada (1458 -1511 ) the Sayyid of Gothada, Thasra & Pali a Zaidi Sayyid -Saadat-e-Bara In Thasra Sayyid Mustufa (R.A) ( 500 Bigha Jagiri Sanad), In Gothada Near Savli -Sayyid Alaad ( Allauddin -R.A ) -500 Bigha Jagiri Sanad & Pali Sayyid Nateeb (R.A)500 Bigha Jagiri Sanad, Sultan Mahamud Beghada provided land to three Sayyid brothers and grant to settle there after victory of Pavagadh fort In 1484 The young Sultan, after laying siege for 20 months, conquered the fort on 21 November 1484. He then transferred his capital to Champaner which he completely rebuilt at the foothills of the Pavagadh fort, calling it Muhammadabad. & Mughal rule in Gujarat (1570–1750), they held the majority of the civil and ecclesiastical posts. For example the Sayyids of Thasra, Kheda district were invited as administrators and judges by Emperor Aurangzeb and provided land grants to settle there. They also provided an important element in the Mughal army, and many are still found in the old Muslim garrison towns such as Ahmedabad. In addition, many of the early Sufi saints that came to Gujarat belonged to Sayyid families. Most of these Sayyid families came from Central Asia and Iran, but many of those found in the coastal towns of Khambhat and Surat originate from Yemen, Oman, Basra and Bahrain.

In Gujarat, the Sayyid have ten sub-divisions, the main ones being the Shirazi, Mattari, Bukhari, Naqvi, Tirmizi, Zaidi, Rifai, Bhaktari, Qadiris, Chishti, mahdavi, Kitoi, Mashadi, Idrusi, and Bahraini. Of these, the Bukhari Sayyids are perhaps the most well known. Their forebear, Syed Burhanuddin Qutb-Alam was the patron saint of Sultan Muzaffar Shah, the first Muslim Sultan of Gujarat. Even more well known was his son Shah Alam, who flourished during the reigns of Qutibudin Shah and Mahmud Begada. It played an important in the medieval and early modern history of Gujarat, and now divided into several branches. Other prominent Sayyids include the Mahdavi family. They are now found mainly in Palanpur and Dabhoi, and claim descent form Syed Muhammad Jaunpuri, the founder of the sect and his son in law Syed Khundmir. They are the hereditary pirs of the Tai community. And finally, the family of the Nizari Ismaili pirs is perhaps the most influential of the Gujarat Sayyid. They are distributed all over Gujarat, and descend from Imam Shah, a famous medieval Ismaili missionary. The Dais (heads) of the Mustali Ismaili, known in Gujarat as the Bohra, are also Sayyids.

Other communities include the Bahrain Sayyid, whose ancestors arrived from Bahrain during the rule of Sultan Mahmud Begada, the Matari Syeds who arrived from the village of Mattar in Sindh during the period of Mughal rule. The ancestors of the Khodari Syeds were invited by the Nawabs of Junagadh, while those of the Bukhari Sayyids arrived from Central Asia at the invitation of Sultan Ahmed Shah. The community now speak both Gujarati and Urdu, and are concentrated in Kutch, Gandhinagar, Baroda, and Bhavnagar, with two thirds of the Sayyid found in Village Gothada, Near Savli Baroda The Sayyid of Gothada are Zaidi Sayyid - Saadat-e-Bara and other are Bukhari & Qadiri Sayyid also settle there .

Sayyids in Kerala

Kerala has its two thousand year old association with Arabia. In Malayalam Thangal is an honorific Muslim title almost equivalent to the Arabic term Sayyid which is given to males believed as descendants of Prophet Muhammad. The present day Thangals are supposed to be descended from Sayyid families, who migrated from the historic city of Tarim, in Hadramawt Province, Yemen, during the 17th century in order to propagate Islam on the Malabar Coast. Sayyids selected coastal areas to settle. The royal family of Arakkal in Kerala had Thangal origins.

Sayyids in Bihar

In Bihar Sayyids are referred to as Syed (Mallick) from Bihar .They are the descendents of Syed Ibrahim Mallick and are knows as MALLICK's whoose ancestry goes on to meet Hazrat Ali through Imam Hassan.Syed Ibrahim Mallick Biya was a distinguished military general and a famous Sufi of the 14th Century A.D. He was the 7th descendent of Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani (Rahmatullah Allaih, RA). He conquered the state of Bihar and was appointed Governor of Bihar by Sultan Mohammad son of Tughlaq. He was given the coveted title of Mallick by the Sultan and became famous as Mallick Biya. On account of this honor, his descendents carried this title and today 600 years later are still distinctly connected with him and recognized as the Mallicks of Bihar.

In Pakistan

There are numerous number of Sayyids (descendants of Muhammad) in Pakistan. Some of these Sayyids first migrated to Bukhara and then to the South Asia. Others reportedly settled in Sindh to protect their lives against the atrocities of the Ummayad and Abbasid caliphates. The Sayyid people of Pakistan are figured as the most prominent and well-established people of the country, with a number of them having become popular and well-known religious icons, political leaders and professionals.

Sayyids in Punjab

The Sayyids of Punjab belong to Hasani (descendant of Imam Hasan), Husaini (descendant of Imam Husain), Alavi (descendants from other sons of Imam Ali) and Zaidi (descendant of Zaid Shaheed, grandson of Imam Husain) groups of sa'dat.

Important Sayyid communities

Important Sayyid communities in South Asia include:

• Sadaat Nasirabad

Main article: Nasirabad, Raibareli

One of the earliest settlements of Naqvi's is reported from Nasirabad, Raibareli in North India. Naqvi Sadats migrated from SUBZWAR (IRAN) & arrived in Nasirabad around 410 Hijri (around 1027 A.D.) and settled there. After some time adjacent Patakpur (Nasirabad), was also inhabited by Momineens and rechristened as Nasirabad after the name of Syed Naseerudin. Nasirabad is the earliest known Naqvi Sadats of India. Naseerabad is the native land of Khandan e Ijtihad and multitude of very high ranking scholars have come from there. The 1st Mujtahid from India, Ayatullah il Uzma Sayyid Dildar Ali Naqvi Naseerabadi 'Gufraanmaab (ar)' was from here and later his family came to be called "Khandan e Ijtihad" due to the heavy presence of high-ranking scholars. Some famous and known religious scholars from this lineage include Syedul Ulema Ayatullah Syed Ali Naqi Naqvi 'Naqqan', Jannat Ma'ab Ayatullah Syed Mohammad Naqvi, Ayatullah Aqa Hasan Sb, Ayatullah Syed Kalbe Hussain Naqvi, Hujjatul Islam Syed Kalbe Abid Naqvi, Hujjatul Islam Syed Kalbe Jawwad Naqvi, Hujjatul Islam Syed Hasan Zafar Naqvi(based in Karachi), Allama Syed Razi Jafar, Allama Nasir Ijtehadi, Dr Kalbe Sadiq, Hujjatul Islam Syed Ali Mohammad Naqvi.

• Sadaat Amroha

The Sadaat Amroha or Amrohi Syed are a community of Sayyids, historically settled in the town of Amroha, in Uttar Pradesh, India.[1] Many members of Sadaat Amroha community have migrated to Pakistan after independence have settled in Karachi, Sindh.

• Saadat-e-Bara

Sadat-e-Bara (Urdu: ہسادات بار‎), sometimes pronounced Sadaat-e-Barha, are a community of Sayyids, originally from a group of twelve villages situated in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh in India. This community had considerable influence during the latter days of the Mughal Empire. They were also found in Karnal District and Haryana in India. Many members of this community have migrated to Pakistan after independence have settled in Karachi, Khairpur State in Sind and Lahore.

• Gardezi Sadaat

Gardēzī Sadaat (Persian: گردیز سادة‎) is a Sadaat Muslim family of Sayyid from Gardez (Afghanistan); consequently known as ‘Gardēzī Sadaat’ in Indian subcontinent.

• Nishapuri Sada'at of Kintoor, Barabanki

Kintoor or Kintur is a village distant 10 miles north-east of Badosarai in Barabanki district famous for battle of Kintoor of 1858 during Indian Mutiny

• Rizvi Sayyids of Zaidpur, Barabanki

• Sayyids of Hallaur

Hallaur or Hallor (Urdu, Persian and Arabic: هلور, Hindi: हल्लौर, Bhojpuri: हलूर) is a town or a big village in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, situated near the banks of Rapti river. Residents of Hallaur are referred as Hallauri

• Sayyid of Gujarat

• Sayyid of Uttar Pradesh

Genetic studies of Sayyids of the Sub-continent

Classical multidimensional scaling based on RST genetic distances showing the genetic affinities of the Syeds with their non IHL neighbours from India and Pakistan (both in bold characters) and with various other Arab populations

A study of "Y chromosomes of self-identified Syeds from the Indian subcontinent" by Elise M. S. Belle, Saima Shah, Tudor Parfitt & 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 ‘Islamic honorific lineages’(Syeds, Hashemites, Quraysh and Ansari) show a greater genetic affinity to Arab populations—despite the geographic distance—than do their neighbouring populations from India and Pakistan.

Sayyid in the Indo Sub-continent in Northern India, 28.7% of the Shia Muslim among whom are the Sayyid population, belong mostly to haplogroup J2 and another 11% belong to J1, who were also Sayyid.

In South East Asia

Most of Alawi Sayyids who moved to Southeast Asia were descendants of Imam Sajjad. Most of them live in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Brunei.

Notable Sayyids

• Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani- currently the pre-eminent marja of Shia Muslims around the world and arguably the most influential political figure in Iraq today
• Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah - foremost marja of Lebanese Shi'a Muslims
• Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini- marja, philosopher and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
• Grand Ayatollah Muhsin al-Hakim - Shi'a marja in the early 1960s.
• Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei - Shi'a marja.
• Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr - Shi'a marja.
• Agha Hasan Abidi (1922–1995), Pakistani banker and founder of Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI)
• Qazi Nurullah Shustari
• Ali Khamenei- 2nd Supreme leader of Iran
• Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi former union minister of India
• Ibrahim al-Jaafari - former Prime Minister of Iraq
• Nayyar Hussain Bukhari Chairman of Senate of Pakistan
• Faisal Raza Abidi
• Haidar Abbas Rizvi
• Mohammad Khatami - reformist Iranian politician and former President of Iran
• Syed Ali Haider Nazam Tabatabai - He translated Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard from poem to poem in Urdu. He was head of Translation Department of Usmania University, could speak write and understand English, German, French, Persian and Arabic.
• Razi Abedi
• Naveed Zaidi
• Syed Sufwan Mohiuddin
• Kalbe Razi Naqvi
• Husain Mohammad Jafri
• Samad Rizvi
• Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari was an Iranian Grand Ayatollah of Iranian Azerbaijani origin
• Ali Jawad Zaidi, Indian poet, scholar and author
• Ali Naqi Zaidi (Safi Lakhnavi), Urdu poet
• Jaffer Zaidi, founder of music band Kaavish
• Mustafa Zaidi, Urdu poet of Pakistan
• Ijlal Haider Zaidi, retired member of the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP)
• Nayyar Ali Zaidi, Pakistani architect
• Maqbool Hussain Zaidi, founder of Imambargah Colonel Maqbool Hussain
• Bashir Hussain Zaidi, member of the first Lok Sabha and Vice Chancellor of AMU
• Naveed Zaidi, British Pakistani scientist who developed the world's first workable plastic magnet at room temperature
• Ali Ausat Zaidi, was a renowned Urdu Soazkhawan
• Tatheer Hussain Zaidi, runs a Madrassa named Jaamia Islamia Baqiatullah located in Lahore, Pakistan
• Arif Hussain Hussaini, Pakistani politician
• Hussein el-Husseini, Lebanese statesman
• Mehdi Hosseini, Persian composer
• Irfan Abidi (1950–1998), was a noted Pakistani scholar, religious leader, public speaker and poet
• Faisal Raza Abidi, Pakistani politician and senator
• Asad Abidi, is a Pakistani American electrical engineer, who was the first dean of Lahore University of Management Sciences's School of Science and Engineering and studied at the University of California, Berkeley
• Azhar Abidi (born 1968), is a Pakistani Australian author and translator
• Syed Ali Nawaz Shah Rizvi, is a Pakistani politician
• Syed Ali Qutab Shah Rizvi, was a member of the Pakistani Sindh Provincial Assembly
• Khawar Rizvi, was a prominent poet of Urdu and Persian
• Khurshid Rizvi, Pakistani scholar, poet, linguist and historian of Arabic languages and literature
• Majida Rizvi, is the first woman judge of a High Court in Pakistan
• Muhammad Rizvi, is a Twelver Shī‘ah scholar, a speaker, as well as an author
• Behzad Rizvi, is an Iranian professor and researcher of electrical and electronic engineeri
• Ayatullah Syed Ahmed Rizvi Kashmiri: A Shia Mujtahid who lived in Kashmir. Died on 9 July 1964.
• Ziauddin Rizvi, was a Shi'a cleric born at Aumphary, Gilgit, to a religious family
• Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi, was a pioneer of the Pakistani film industry
• Ali Jafari, Iranian computer scientist
• Masoud Jafari Jozani (born 1948), Iranian film director, screenwriter and film producer
• Davoud Danesh-Jafari (born 1954), Minister of Economy and Finance Affairs of Iran
• Mohammad Ali Jafari (born 1957), commander of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution in Iran
• Ali Sardar Jafri (1913–2000), Urdu writer, poet, critic and film lyricist from India
• Ehsan Jafri (1929–2002), Indian Muslim Parliamentarian
• Saeed Jaffrey (born 1929), Indian-born British actor
• Madhur Jaffrey (born 1933), Indian actress and food writer
• Javed Jaffrey (born 1963), Indian actor
• Zamir Jafri (1916–1999), Pakistani poet
• Aqeel Jafri (born 1957), Pakistani writer, poet and architect
• Raza Jaffrey (born 1975), British actor and singer
• Saeed Jaffrey is an Indian-born British actor, who has done numerous British movies
• Sakina Jaffrey (born 1962), Indian-American actress

External links

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sayad". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• Sayyids and Sharifs in Muslim Societies: The Living Links to the Prophet edited by Kazuo Morimoto