Sayyid

Sayyid (UKsaɪɪd,_ˈseɪjɪd, USˈsɑːjɪd; سيد ˈsæjjɪd; sejˈjed; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: سادة sādah; feminine: سيدة ALA; sejˈjede) is an honorific surname of Muslims recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhammad's daughter Fatima and his cousin and son-in-law Ali (Ali ibn Abi Talib). A few Arabic language experts state that it has its roots in the word al-asad الأسد, meaning "lion", probably because of the qualities of valour and leadership. The word is derived from the verb sāda, meaning to rule. The surname seyyid/sayyid existed before Islam, however not in light of a specific descent, but as a meritocratic sign of respect. Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic defines seyyid as a translation for master, chief, sovereign, or lord. It also denotes someone respected and of high status. In the Arab world, sayyid is the equivalent of the English word "liege lord" or "master" when referring to a descendant of Muhammad, as for example in Sayyid Ali Sultan. The foundation of the title Sayyid is unclear. In fact the title Sayyid as a unified reference for descendants of Muhammad did not exist according to Monimoto until the Mongol conquests. This can be substantiated by historic records about Abdul Qadir Gilani and Bahauddin Naqshband, who did not refer to themselves with any title, despite their lineages to Muhammad. This gives reasons to think that this title is founded later on. Monimoto refers to Mominov, who describes that the emergence of a community leader during the Mongol era (Ilkhanate) gave rise to the prominence of the title Sayyid. This leader is most probably the Sunni Shafiite scholar Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, who lived in this time, being known as a saint credited with the honorific titles "Amir-e-Kabir"(English: Grand Prince) and "Ali-e-Saani" (English: Second Ali). Hamadani's religious legacy in Kashmir as well as his headquarter (Persian: Khanqah) the Khanqa-e-Mola became under the control of the Grand Sayyid Hazrat Ishaan.