BahaiGlossary.org
What is the Bahá'í Glossary?
The Bahá'í vocabulary has many Arabic and Persian words that may be unfamiliar to non-native speakers and newcomers to the Bahá'í Faith. This glossary is designed to help Bahá'ís learn to pronounce these words according to the pronunciation guide established and promoted by Shoghí Effendí.
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Language of Origin: Arabic
Siyyid literally means Mister. In the Arab world itself, the word is the equivalent of the English "Mister", as in Sayyid John Smith.
As an honorific title, the term Siyyid is given to males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, who were the sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib. Daughters of male siyyids are given the titles Siyyida, Alawiyah, Syarifah, or Sharifah.
Children of a Sayyida mother but a non-Sayyid father cannot be attributed the title of Sayyid, however they may claim maternal descent and are called Mirza.
