Among the Ottomans it was sufficient for one’s paternal line of descent to go back to our Prophet (saas) to be regarded as a sayyid. However, it is also possible to be a sayyid on one’s mother’s side only. The rank of sayyid goes back to the daughter of our Prophet (saas) and Hazrat Fatima (ra), the mother of Hazrat Hassan (ra) and Hazrat Hussain (ra).  Our Prophet (saas) also had male children, but these died at an early age. The Prophet’s (saas) line was thus continued through his daughter. As it can be understood, one can thus be a sayyid through the maternal line as can be from the paternal . The great Islamic scholars Ibrahim Hakki Erzurumi (1703-1780) and Abdul Qadir Gaylani (1078-1166) were both sayyids on their mothers’ sides.

May 14, 2009

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