SAYYID

(Arabic: master, or lord), Arabic title of respect, sometimes restricted, as is the title sharif, to the Banu Hashim, members of Muhammad's clan; in particular, the descendants of Muhammad's uncles al-'Abbas and Abu Talib and of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib by Muhammad's daughter Fatimah. In the Hejaz, sayyid is further restricted to the descendants of Husayn, the younger son of 'Ali and Fatimah. In Pakistan and India sayyids are numerous, being one of the four main groups of Muslims. They also constitute an influential extratribal class in Yemen, claiming descent from the Prophet through an ancestor who came south from Iraq more than a millennium ago. Many dynasties have also claimed to be sayyids in the restricted sense.