Sayed - Indication of Descent

Indication of Descent

The 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 the son of the Prophet Ibrahim. Sayyids often include the following titles in their names to indicate the figure from whom they trace their descent.

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.

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