Sayyid[a] is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan and Husayn.

[11] 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 valor and leadership.

[14] Hans Wehr's Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic defines seyyid as a translation for master, chief, sovereign, or lord.

[citation needed] Morimoto 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.

[18] 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.

[19][20][21] However, in Sunni Islam as practiced in the Ottoman and Mughal Empire, a person descending from Muhammad (either maternally or paternally) can only claim the title of Sayyid meritocratically by passing audits, whereupon exclusive rights, like paying lesser taxes, will be granted.

These are mostly based on the claimant's demonstrated knowledge of the Quran and piousness (Arabic: Taqwa) under the assessment of a Naqib al-Ashraf, also known as a Mir in Persian-speaking countries.

Some of these families are: the Alyassiri, Al Aqeeqi, Al-Nasrullah, Al-Wahab, Al-Hashimi, Al-Barznji, Al-Quraishi, Al-Marashi, Al-Witry, Al-Obaidi, Al-Samarai, Al-Zaidi, Al-A'araji, Al-Baka, Al-Hasani, Al-Hussaini, Al-Shahristani, Al-Qazwini Al-Qadri, Tabatabaei, Al- Alawi, Al-Ghawalib (Al-Ghalibi), Al-Musawi, Al-Awadi (not to be confused with the Al-Awadhi Huwala family), Al-Gharawi, Al-Sabzewari, Al-Shubber, Al-Hayali, Al-Kamaludeen, Al-Asadi and many others.

Since most of the population embraced Sunni Islam, and an educated version of Shiism was scarce in Iran at the time, Ismail imported a new group of Shia Ulama who predominantly were Sayyids from traditional Shiite centers of the Arabic-speaking lands, such as Jabal Amel (of southern Lebanon), Syria, Bahrain, and southern Iraq in order to create a state clergy.

Common Sayyid family surnames in Iran are Husseini, Mousavi, Kazemi, Razavi, Eshtehardian, Tabatabaei, Hashemi, Hassani, Jafari, Emami, Ahmadi, Zaidi, Imamzadeh, Sherazi, Kermani (kirmani), Shahidi, and Mahdavi.

All male line descendants of Sultan Ahmad bin Said, the first ruler of Oman from the Al Said dynasty, are able to use the title of Sayyid or Sayyida.

They are predominantly descendants of leading saints of Sunni faith that migrated from Persia to preach Islam of which the Persian Sayyid Moinuddin Chishti has set the cornerstone.

On March 15, 2019, President Ashraf Ghani decreed the inclusion of the "Sadat tribe" in the electronically registered national identity documents (Tazkira).

These individuals are often referred to as Sadat (from Arabic: سادات, the plural of Sayyid), a term traditionally used to denote the descendants of Hasan and Hussein, the first Shia martyrs and sons of Ali, who are grandsons of Muhammad, particularly in the northern Hejaz region and British India.

The new British colonial authorities that replaced the Mughals after the Battle of Buxar made a pragmatic decision to work with the various Sayyid jagirdars.

They had a large Jagirdara consisting of 52 villages.Abdullapur named after Syed Mir Abdulla Naqvi Al Bukhari, he built Kot Fort of this place in the 16th century, it was his main residence.

Bihar's first prime minister Mohammad Yunus[66][67] Nobel prize nominee and Padma shri winner Syed Hassan,[68] Political Scientist Abu Bakr Ahmad Haleem[69] was the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Aligarh University and Karachi University, The great Abdul Bari,[70][71][72] Zaid Hamid Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid is a Pakistani far-right, Islamist political commentator and was included in 500 most influential Muslims in world and Brigadier Malik Mokhtar Karim[73] are few names from Malik Sadaat of Bihar.

After the partition of India, during uncertain times of mass emigration to Pakistan, the books were donated to Khuda Bakhsh Khan Library in Patna, where a Desna section was established to house these treasures.

Most of them migrated from Arabian peninsula (Yemen's Hadharamout) and Central Asian region in the Middle Ages and settled under the patronage of Zamorins.

[79] In Northern India, Uttar Pradesh & Bihar 0.2 per cent of the Sunni Muslim belong to haplogroup J1, which, given its absence in Indian non-Muslims is likely of exogenous Middle Eastern origin.

The results for Sayyids showed minor but still detectable levels of gene flow primarily from Iran, rather than directly from the Arabian peninsula.

However, self-identified men belonging to the IHL (Syeds, Hashemites, Quraysh and Ansari) show greater genetic affinity to Arab populations—despite the geographic distance, than other Indian populations.

The Hashemite royal family of Jordan also claims descent from Muhammad in the line of the Sharifs of Mecca, vassals that were set by the Fatimids and recognized by the Ottomans, tracing their lineage back to Imam Hasan ibn Ali.

[93] The Sultanates of Sulu, Lanao, and Maguindanao hold a significant place in Philippine history, rooted deeply in both cultural heritage and religious identity.

It is claimed that these Sultanates trace their lineage to the Prophet Muhammad, upholding the tenets of Sunni Ash'ari in Aqeeda (theological creed) and adhering to the Shafi'i school of thought in Fiqh (jurisprudence).

Central to their spiritual and intellectual tradition are the teachings of Sufi missionaries from the Ba 'Alawi sada, whose influence has played a pivotal role in shaping the religious landscape of the region.

[94] The majority of Muslims in the Philippines adhere to the Sunni Ash'ari creed and follow the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, reflecting the enduring influence of these traditions within the Sultanates and beyond.

Sufism, with its emphasis on spiritual purification and the pursuit of inner knowledge, resonates deeply with the cultural and religious fabric of the Filipino Muslim community.