Sayyid
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Sayyid (Template:ArB) (plu. Saadah)
| Language | Transliteration | Usage Location |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | Sayyid, Sayid | Arab and Western World |
| Persian | Sayyed, Sayed, Seyyed, Seyed | Iran, Azerbaijan and Türkistan |
| Turkish | Seyed, Seyit, Seyyid, Seyyed | Turkey, Azerbaijan and Türkistan |
| Urdu, Punjabi | Syed | Pakistan and India |
| Other | Saiyed, Siyyid |
Sayyid is an honorific title often given to claimed descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) through his grandsons, Hassan A.S and Husayn (as), the sons of his daughter Fatima Zahra (as) and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) (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 (as), 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."
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 and Medina and now rule in Jordan, the Hashemites, bore the title Sharif.
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 |
| 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". (Arabic Last Name)
- 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. (Arabic Title)
- 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.
1Also, El-Husseini, Husseini, and Hussaini.
2There is still a debate regarding the status of Allawi, Alavi as sayyid because technically they are not descendents of Fatima Zahra bint Mohammad. They are generally descendents of Ali ibn Abu Talib and his wives after Fatima Zahra bint Mohammad's death.