Question:
My grandfather’s mother came from a pure sayed family. Does that make me one?
Answer:
Imam al-Suyuti in his fatwa entitled al-`Ujajat al-Zarnabiyya fil-Sulalat al-Zaynabiyya said: “The early and later Muslims have applied the rule that the son of a female Prophetic descendant is not himself a Prophetic descendant” so the answer to your question is no.
جرى السلف والخلف على أن ابن الشريفة لا يكون شريفاً
The reason is that your grandfather is affiliated to his paternal ancestors, so his mother’s sayyid status is not passed on to him.
A mother’s lineage does not transmit sayyid status, the only exception being the immediate children of the Prophet’s daughters (upon him and them blessings and peace) according to the following hadith which I will mention as I received it in Damascus – may Allah protect it:
Both Shaykh Abu al-Tayyib Quwaydir and Shaykh Abu Sa`id Quwaydir (their mother is a Husayniyya Prophetic descendant from Aal al-Zu`bi) narrated to me through my reading to the latter: From Sayyid Muhammad Makki al-Kattani al-Hasani and Sayyid Muhammad al-Hashimi al-Hasani with their chains to Imam al-Sakhawi who said:
(i) In al-Maqasid al-Hasana:
<<The hadith “All human beings are affiliated to the male blood relatives (`asaba) of their father except the sons of Fatima: for truly I myself am their father and I am their `asaba“
كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ يَنْتَمُونَ إِلَى عَصَبَةِ أَبِيهِمْ إِلَّا وَلَدَ فَاطِمَةَ، فَإِنِّي أَنَا أَبُوهُمْ وَأَنَا عَصَبَتُهُمْ
is in al-Tabarani in al-Kabir; Abu Ya`la; and al-Khatib in his Tarikh through [various wordings and paths] strengthening one another.>>
(ii) in al-Ajwibat al-Mardiyya which is his three-volume collection of hadith fatwas: <<This hadith is fit to serve as proof in the Religion.>>
(iii) in Istijlab Irtiqa’ al-Ghuraf b-Hubbi Aqriba’ al-Rasul wa-Dhawi al-Sharaf:
<<In that hadith there is a proof for his exclusive attribute (ikhtisasih) of affiliating his daughter’s sons to him. This is why Imam al-Nawawi said in al-Rawda [=Rawdat al-Talibin], following its original text [al-Rafi`i’s Sharh al-Wajiz] concerning the [Prophetic] khasa’is: ‘and the sons of his daughters [note: banatih, plural] are affiliated to him, whereas the sons of everyone else’s daughters are not affiliated to their [maternal] grandfather.’>>
Ibn al-Mulaqqin in Ghayat al-Sul fi Khasa’is al-Rasul, al-Suyuti in his major and minor Khasa’is, al-Khaydari in al-Lafz al-Mukarram bi-Khasa’is al-Nabi al-A`zam, al-Salihi in his Sira, and Qadi `Iyad in the Shifa all said something similar.
Another closely-worded hadith is narrated in Abd Allah b. Ahmad b. Hanbal’s additions to Fada’il al-Sahaba whereby the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) said:
<<Every means and lineage is cut off on the Day of Resurrection except my means and my lineage! Every father’s sons, their male blood relatives (`asaba) go back to their father – except the sons of Fatima: for truly I myself am their father and their `asaba.>>
كُلُّ سَبَبٍ وَنَسَبٍ مُنْقَطِعٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَا خَلَا سَبَبِي وَنَسَبِي، كُلُّ وَلَدِ أَبٍ فَإِنَّ عَصَبَتَهُمْ لِأَبِيهِمْ مَا خَلَا وَلَدُ فَاطِمَةَ فَإِنِّي أَنَا أَبُوهُمْ وَعَصَبَتُهُمْ
All this said, I have heard that Habib Zayn b. Sumayt said that the child of a (latter-day) female descendant of the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace), while not called a sayyid, can still be called a “dhurriyya” (progeny) of the Prophet, but Allah knows best as it is hard to see a clear difference between the two terms.
Blessings and peace on the Prophet, his Family, Spouses and Progeny, and all his Companions.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
