Saiyid

Saiyid is a historical and cultural title used in the Muslim world to designate a man who is descended, in the male line, from the Prophet Muhammad. The term derives from Arabic Sayyid, meaning “lord” or “master.” In practice, Sayyids are usually understood to be descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah and her husband Ali, or more broadly through Hasan or Husayn, the Prophet’s grandsons. The title is not a formal religious rank, but a genealogical and social designation that has varied in different regions and periods. Transliteration varies: Sayyid, Saiyed, Seyed, Syed, Sayed, and the feminine Sayyida.

Sayyids are widespread across the Arab world, Iran, and the broader Muslim world, including South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh) and Southeast Asia. In many communities they form distinct lineages or social groupings, and in some places Sayyids are accorded higher social status, roles in religious leadership, genealogical guardianship, or as patrons of mosques and Sufi orders. The status attached to Sayyids is cultural and social rather than doctrinal; religious authority remains with scholars and clerics regardless of lineage. Claims of descent are often preserved in family genealogies called nasab and may be verified by genealogists or community records, though the certainty and importance of such claims vary widely.

Notable Sayyids are associated with the Prophet’s family, and the term is used in various forms as both a surname and a title in Muslim-majority societies.