Zaidi (surname)

The surname Zaidi originates from the Middle East. The Zaidi surname is derived from Zaid ibn Ali, the son of Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin. People with the surname Zaidi trace their lineage to Zaid ibn Ali. Descendants of Zaid ibn Ali who have the surname Zaidi are commonly located in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Indian Subcontinent.

Descendants of Zaid ibn Ali are known as Syed, Sayyid or Seyyed as they are descendants of Zaid Ibn Ali who is the son of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir and use Zaidi as their last name.

The surname Al-Zaidi (Az-Zaidi) can denote one or both of the following:

• Sayyid Arab descendents of Zayd bin Ali that either stayed in Kufa, Iraq or returned to Al-Hijaz.
• This use of the surname Al-Zaidi is akin to the use of the surnames Al-Hanafi, Al-Maliki, Al-Shafi'i, etc.

Also note people with the surname Zaidi are not associated with the Zaidiyyah which is a sect of Islam.

The Wasitis/Zaidis in South Asia

The Zaidis of the Indian subcontinent are known as Wasitis. Zayd ibn Ali was martyred in Kufa, Iraq; many of his descendants either returned to al-Hijaz or remained in Iraq. Some of those who stayed in Iraq settled in Wasit. Some descendants from Wasit then moved to the Indian subcontinent. Most of the Zaidis migrated after the Mongol Siege of Baghdad in 1258. Majority Zaidis are part of Twelver Shiism. Most of them are settled in India and Pakistan.^[1]

The largest group of Zaidis is known as Saadat-e-Bara. Saadat means descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and Bara means twelve in Urdu. There are many interpretations of word bara and many spellings are current: Bara, Bahera, Barha (as spelled in Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri, Akbarnama and other Moghul sources) and Bahira meaning "bright" in Arabic language. One explanation of the word is as mentioned above; another is that there are twelve villages in Muzaffarnagar District and their residents were called Sadat Barha. This explanation is mentioned by the Emperor Jahangir in his autobiography Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri or Memoirs of Jahangir. Living outside of imperial camps and not indulging in hedonism of court life is another explanation of the term, as these families avoided the wrath of the noble families of Moghul court, most popular belief about Barha epithet is that they live in twelve villages in Muzaffarnagar district.

These Sayyeds are descendants of Abul Farah Wasti who came to India from Wasit (Iraq) in the late 13th century along with his four sons who settled in four villages of Punjab, Kundli, Chhatbanur, Tihanpur and Jajner giving names to all four clans of Sadat Barha. Their numbers are highest in Karachi (Pakistan) and Muzaffarnagar (India). The Kundliwal clan mainly live in Mujhera, Hashimpur, Valipura, Saifpur, Sikrehra Khola, Tandhera, Khujhera, Khedhi Pachenda and Sarai Rasulpur. The Chhatraudi clan live in Sambalhera, Luckhmapur (Jaunpur), Peeropur (Bhadohi), Kakrauli, Saidpura Kalan, Morna, Senthal and Kaithora(Gothada)Gujarat. Zaidi Sayyed also migrated from Jansath to the villages of eastern part of Uttar Pradesh namely Sikanderpur,Kandipur in Ambedkar Nagar district.

Notable people with the surname Al-Zaidi

• Muntadhar al-Zaidi (born 1979), Iraqi broadcast journalist who serves as a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Egyptian-based Al-Baghdadia TV

Notable people with the surname Zaidi

Art & literature

• Ali Naqi Zaidi (Safi Lakhnavi), Urdu poet
• Jaffer Zaidi, founder of music band Kaavish
• Mustafa Zaidi, Urdu poet of Pakistan
• Ustad Sibte Jaafar Zaidi, poet, professor and head of various institutions in Pakistan

Architecture

• Nayyar Ali Zaidi, Pakistani architect

Government

• Ijlal Haider Zaidi, retired member of the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP)

Military

• Maqbool Hussain Zaidi, founder of Imambargah Colonel Maqbool Hussain

Politics

• Bashir Hussain Zaidi, member of the first Lok Sabha and Vice Chancellor of AMU

Media

• Shama Zaidi, Indian screenwriter, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary filmmaker
• Zaigham Zaidi, Pakistani photographer
• Ashar Zaidi, broadcast sports journalist from Pakistan
• Zeeshan Zaidi, lead singer and guitarist for The Commuters

Religion

• Ali Ausat Zaidi, was a renowned Urdu Soazkhawan
• Tatheer Hussain Zaidi, runs a Madrassa named Jaamia Islamia Baqiatullah located in Lahore, Pakistan

Education

• Dr. Syed Zafar Zaidi, Vice Chancellor, university of Karachi

Science

• Naveed Zaidi, British Pakistani scientist who developed the world's first workable plastic magnet at room temperature

Sport

• Ashar Zaidi, Pakistani first-class cricketer
• Ashish Zaidi, Indian cricketer
• Zulqarnain Zaidi, former Pakistani cricketer

Notable people with the surname Wasti

• Maria Wasti, Pakistani film and television actress
• Nasir Wasti, Pakistani first class cricketer who played for Pakistan National Shipping Corporation
• Wajahatullah Wasti, Pakistani cricketer

See also

• Zaidiyah
• Sayyid
• Saadat-e-Bara

References

This page or section lists people with the surname Zaidi. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.