Syed
Sayyid (also rendered as Sayid, Said or, in Malaysia and the The Subcontinent, Syed) is an honorific title often given to descendants of The Prophet through his grandson, Hussain. (Descendants of Hasan were known as Sharif.)
The word means literally "lord" or "prince", the closest English equivalent would be Sir. It is traditionally used to refer to those claiming descent from the Prophet Muhammed through Husain, son of his daughter Fatima Zahra and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib. (Descendents of another son, Hasan, are often referred to as Sharif.) Poor sayyids receive half of the khums, a special tax levied under Shia Islamic sharia law. They are considered spiritually and socially supreme, particularly in Iranian and Indian Muslim society.
In the Arab world itself, the word is still used as a substitute for Mister, as in As Syed George Bush.
Famous Sayyids
Related articles
- Seyd and this are the same topic; most probably need to be merged.
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