Sayyid
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Sayyid (Arabic: سيد ) (plu. Saadah) is an honorific title often given to people accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hassan and Husayn, the sons of his daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (who was Muhammad's younger cousin and had been raised in his household).
Some Muslims also use the term sayyid for the descendants of Abu Talib, uncle of Muhammad, by his other sons: Jafar, Aqeel and Talib.
The term should not be confused with the popular name "Sa'id" or "Saeed", which is an Arabic and Persian word meaning "happy". Another word sometimes confused with sayyid is sha'hid, the Arabic term for martyr.
The word means literally "master"; the closest English equivalent would be Sir or Lord. In the Arab world itself, with the exception of Iraq, the word is still used as a substitute for Mister, as in Sayyid John Smith. The same concept is expressed by the word sidi (from Arabic word 'Sayyidi') in the western dialects of Arabic.
Alevis use seyyid (Turkish) as an honorific before the names of their saints.
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. In the Arab World Sharif is usually reserved for descendants of al-Hassan whilst sayyid is used for descendants of al-Husain.
Transliteration
| Language | Transliteration | Areas spoken |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | Sayyid, Sayid | Arab world |
| Persian | Sayyed, Sayed, Seyyed, Seyed | Iran, Azerbaijan, Türkistan |
| Turkish | Seyed, Seyit, Seyyid, Seyyed | Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Türkistan |
| Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali | Syed | Pakistan, India and Bangladesh |
| Other | Saiyed, Siyyid | |
People chose different Romanised 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 from Yemen may use the transliteration "sayyid" whilst immigrants of Pakistani or Indian origin may use "syed".
Amongst intellectuals and scholars of the Western world, there is an overwhelming adherence to the usage of the forms "sayyid" and "sayed" in their writings.
Indication of descent
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 Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali ibn Abu Talib | Allawi2 | Allawi2 | Alavi2 |
| Hasan ibn Ali | al-Hashimi or al-Hassani | al-Hashimi or al-Hassani | Hashemi, Hassani, or Tabatabai |
| Husayn ibn Ali | al-Hussaini | al-Hussaini1 | Hosseini |
| Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al Abidin | al-Abidi | al-Abidi | Abedi |
| Zayd ibn Ali ash-Shahid | az-Zaidi | al-Zaidi | Zaidi |
| Muhammad al-Baqir | al-Baqiri | al-Baqiri | Baqeri |
| Jafar as-Sadiq | al-Ja'fari | al-Ja'fari | Jafari |
| Musa al-Kazim | al-Mousawi | al-Mousawi | Mousavi or Kazemi |
| Ali ar-Rida | ar-Ridawi | al-Ridawi or al-Radawi | Rezavi or Rizvi |
| Muhammad at-Taqi | at-Taqawi | al-Taqawi | Taqavi |
| Ali al-Hadi | an-Naqawi | al-Naqawi | Naqavi |
NOTE: (For non-Arabic speakers) When transliterating Arabic words into English there are two approaches.
- 1. You may transliterate the word letter for letter, e.g. "الزيدي" becomes "a-l-z-ai-d-i".
- 2. You may transliterate the pronunciation of the word, e.g. "الزيدي" becomes "a-z-z-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) . When you see the prefixes an, ar, as, ash, at, az, etc... this means the word is the transliteration 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-Hashimi could be translated as Ahmad of the lineage of Hassan and Ahmad al-Harrani as Ahmad from the city of Harran. For further explanation, see Arabic names.
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 Baneen. Those who limit the term sayyid to descendants of Muhammad through Fatima Zahra, will not consider Allawis/Alavis to be sayyids..
See also
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