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Sayyid is an Honorific title often given to claimed 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."

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 .

Alevi s 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.

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.


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