Zaidis and Wastis


                                                        

Many people believe that Zaidis and Wastis are two separate surnames. The truth is that it isn’t. Zaidis and Wastis hail from a place in Iraq called Wasit. Wasti is actually Wasiti but over time, it became Wasti. They are descended from the fourth Imam Ali bin Hussain, also known as Zain-ul-Abedin. His eldest son’s name was Zaid. Hence the name Zaidi.

These people are Sayyeds meaning they can trace their ancestry to the Holy Prophet. In the 11th century, Sayyid Abul Farah Al Hussaini Al Wasti (son of Syed Daud al Hussaini), came to India from Iraq, with his twelve sons, and most of the Zaidis and Wastis in India and Pakistan are their descendants.

Let me clarify one point here. There are Zaidis who are not Wastis. They are those who believe that Zaid and not Mohammad Baqir was the fifth Imam. They are not the Twelvers. Many of them live in Yemen and should not be confused with the Zaidis who are the Twelvers. The Yemeni Zaidis spell their names as Zaydi. They are called the Fivers. More than 40% of the population in Yemen are Zaydis.   

The largest group of Zaidis is known as Saadat - e- Bara. Emperor Jehangir in his memoir Tuzuk -e-Jehangiri & before that even in Akbarnama written by Abul Fazl that records the events during Emperor Akbar’s reign, references are made about Saadat -e- Bara.

In Urdu, Saadat means descendant of Prophet Mohammad and Bara means twelve.  Abul Farah’s one son from the twelve he had , Syed Abul Fazail al Wasti migrated to Punjab , and  settled in a small village in Patiala District. Likewise, his other sons also, spread to other parts of India.

Zaidis & Wastis in the sub-continent are pretty well known and there are many eminent Zaidis and Wastis who have made a name for themselves in literature, banking, social service, sports and other areas.   

-          NZ

25.8.2019   

BN: 107






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