Are they really descendants of the Prophet? So, how did they come to Central Asia? It is natural that many people are interested in such questions. "Sayyid" is an Arabic word meaning gentleman, chief of a tribe, a person distinguished by his personal qualities, property or origin. It is a religious title sign that is widespread in countries where Islam is spread. In early medieval Arabia, great nobles, noble tribal leaders were addressed by this name.
According to Y. Belyayev, an orientalist scientist, at the head of each tribe (Arab tribe - KK) and then its leader - sayyid (meaning gentleman); later they were called sheikhs. Separate dynasties and large groups of nomads also had their sayyids. In times of peace, the Sayyid organizes migrations, chooses a place to escape, negotiates with other tribes as a representative of his tribe, settles disputes and disputes between his fellow tribesmen (if there are no judges within the tribe), sometimes , but in very rare cases, the priest performed the duties of a servant. During invasions and wars, the Sayyid led a military unit composed of his fellow tribesmen; at this time he was called rais (chief). In medieval countries of the Middle East, representatives of the local nobility and nobles, regardless of their social origin, were sometimes addressed as "sayids". Interpreted from a religious point of view, sayyid is an honorary title of the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The descendants of our Prophet (PBUH) were addressed as "Ahl al-Bayt". "Ahl al-Bayt" is a blessed house for the Muslim nation of Rasulullah (pbuh), Khadija bint Huwaylid, Ali ibn Abu Talib, Bibi Fatima Zahra, Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them). they are honored as sayyids (sayyid - Arabic "gentleman"). Nowadays, in many Arab countries, high-ranking, responsible persons, state and public figures are addressed as "Sayidi", that is, "Sir". The Sayyids were considered to be a class of great status and respect in the Islamic world, particularly in Central Asia. Therefore, there were special efforts in different periods to become a murid (disciple) of the sayyids, but also to get closer to their generation.
Sayyids in Central Asia
Central Asia, in particular, today's territory of Uzbekistan is inhabited by Husayni Sayyids and Hasaini Sayyids. The descendants of Husayni, that is, Imam Husayn, who constituted the majority in the region, settled in almost all regions of the country. Descendants of Imam Hasan (sometimes Hasain) live in the cities of Margilon and Nurota, partly in the vicinity of Baliqchi district of Andijan and Beshariq districts of Fergana region.
There is no information about the descendants of Imam Hasan in scientific sources, several representatives of the Sayyids connect themselves to this breed. High-status families may intermarry with a family of their desired class for brides, but girls are strictly given to a member of the family with an honorary title. Because the career of the generation is determined only by a man.
Rulers, emirs, if their lineages were at a lower level, married the daughters of the people from the Prophet's (pbuh) generation in order to raise the status of their descendants. The answer to this has been found on the basis of Sharia law. In the struggle for the crown, the claimants cooperated in supporting themselves in the support of the clergy, who could influence the urban artisans, shopkeepers and "market people and merchants" who formed the basis of the masses of the people. those who did. In all periods, membership in the "family" was important for "self-preservation" or to strengthen one's position and career, and kinship ties were sometimes established as a matter of interest. In fact, not only the common people, even the owners sometimes did not dare to ask for the daughters of the Sayyids, who considered themselves to be descendants of the Prophet.
In the Kokan khanate, rulers belonging to the generation of sayyids were addressed as toras. In the generation of the Sayyids, toras represent belonging to the highest eunuchs. Tora means rule, customs, law, discipline in ancient Turkic language. In the Emirate of Bukhara, it was added to the name of the sons of the emir, and in Turkestan, the tsar's administrators. For example, Akromkhan tora, Mochalov tora.
There are also several differing opinions on the interpretation of the term Torah. For example, Kazakh researcher Zoyir Sadibekov says, "Tora are the descendants of Jochikhan who spread from Orishkhan. Originally from Genghis Khan, they called themselves "Tora" in order to distinguish themselves from the general (ordinary, black) people. Researcher Jaloliddin Mirzayev in the article "Sayyids of Termiz" says that "tora" is used as a synonym of the term sayyid in the Muslim world. Also, in some cases, the grandsons of Muhammad, peace be upon him, are distinguished separately with the titles of Hasan's descendant, Sharif, and Hussein's descendant, Sayyid.
In our conversations in Nurota, people who consider themselves descendants of Imam Hasan and Imam Husain, the grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), are addressed as "eshanbova" (eshanbuwa). Also, the Prophet's descendants living in Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya are addressed as "Eshonbova". If they do not participate in marriage relations with people of "lower" class or caste in their family relations, and their descendants belong only to the house of Eshans (meaning the generation of Sayyids - KK), ordinary people call people of this category "big Eshans". is called
In Ferghana Valley, people belonging to the Sayyid family are addressed as Tora, Torakhan, and Toram. There is no such appeal in other regions. In the Ferghana Valley itself, they honor the Sayyids and address them as "Khoja". Khoja means great, ruler, owner in Persian. Here, to the generation of sayyids (as well as to families belonging to the title of "khoja"), the ratio "khan" is added to the name. This ratio was fully applied not only to women, but also to husbands. For example: Sayyida'lam Khan, Sayyida'zam Khan, Muhammad Khan, Akmal Khan, Jora Khan.
The use of the ratio "Khan" or "Tora" does not indicate honor or respect, but is elevated to the level of high moral culture and value. Among the Turkic peoples, it was customary to use the ratio of "tora" and "khan" to the generation of khagans who had great deeds and status. Q. Mambetov writes in the book "Korakalpoqlar Shajarasi" that the title of khan was not given to everyone. The ancestors of such "khans" had to be from Genghis Khan's generation only. These khan families are divided into big family, middle family and small family. Genghis Khan's grandfathers and grandsons were included in the great family tree. The middle family consists of his grandchildren. If there is a small family tree, the national khans are Uzbek, Kazakh, Turkmen, Kyrgyz and Karakalpak khans.
It is possible that later these terms served to spread the teachings of Islam among the local population, were used in reference to spiritual leaders, and over time acquired moral and educational content in the lifestyle of the family of sayyids.
In the family of the Sayyids, all family members address each other as "you". In turn, the order formed by the internal environment is forced to be respected by the outside person, group and stratum. This is one of the reasons why the descendants of the upper class are still respected by ordinary people. In particular, the unique healthy lifestyle passed down from generation to generation in the family of sayyids, and the obligations they face also serve as a practical guide.
Each generation or community has a leader. The opinion or attitude expressed in the discussion and problem situations has decisive roles. Naturally, the responsibility for this falls on an adult. In addition to having a lot of life experience, the main applicant for this position is a person who is knowledgeable, intelligent, an entrepreneur, and in addition to religious sciences, he is also aware of worldly knowledge. The task entrusted to him is certainly complicated, because he has to worry not only about his descendants, but also about his devotees, murid and disciples. Such leaders of the generation are called differently, for example, "Naqib", "Sadr", "Our elder", "Our brother", "Our elder", "Our leader", etc. In fact, all these words express the meaning of "chief", "chairman". Amir Temur wrote in his decrees: "The first decree I applied in the development of the religion was that I appointed one of the ablest Sayyids as the leader of the people of Islam."
Sayyids tribe MowaroHow did you come to Unnahr?
After the death of Rasulullah, his descendants are the main contenders for the existing state system. Struggles for power especially intensified during the reign of the Ummayites (661-750 AD). During this period, the lives of the people and relatives of the Prophet (pbuh) began to be in danger. Therefore, they began to move from the Arabian Peninsula to the lands of Iran and Khorasan.
During the rule of the Abbasids (750-1258 years), the persecution of Sayyid descendants intensified. They will be forced to go deeper into the countries where Islam is widespread. These places were the lands of Movarounnahr and Turkestan. The first sayyidza to visit this region was Hasan ul-Amir (the first representative of the Sayyids of Termiz, the name of the place was later attributed to his descendants because he settled here). "... during the time of Ja'far ul-Hujjat, viceroy of Medina, his grandson named Hasan, nicknamed "al-Amir", with all his family members and some representatives of the Prophet's (pbuh) family, in the year 235 A.H. He moved to Samarkand for some reason. The people of this city are extremely happy with Hasan al-Amir's visit and show him unlimited respect and honor.
...Hasan al-Amir lived in Samarkand for eleven years and moved to Balkh in 236 AH. Here too, they served him with great respect and loyalty." Abu Tahirkhoja writes in the work "Samaria" that there is a couch of the Sayyids brought by Amir Temur from Herat and Mashhad to Samarkand, and that most of the Sayyids are buried in this Sufa. During our conversations, when we asked how the generation of Sayyids came to these lands, they said that they came to the country mostly from Iran, some from Badakhshan, Afghanistan. Turkish rulers and especially the local population were highly respected, so they were highly respected.
Family relations
In the generation of the Sayyids, family relations continue on the basis of a traditional closed system. That is, their houses consist of "outer" and "inner" yards. Pilgrims and visiting men are welcomed in the outer courtyard. Close relatives are excluded. In the inner courtyard, women wear headscarves and long dresses, and in addition to housework, they are engaged in science (mostly, knowledge of religious and moral issues is taken as a basis). they get married and become responsible for raising children.
It is not unlikely that the worldview and thinking of the Sayyids will be provided not only at the expense of learning, but also by the people who came here, in particular, the devotee category - "murid". When a murid comes to his piri or hazrat, he not only brings gifts and offerings, but also what is happening in the world, the lifestyle of the people, their mood, this year's harvest, what changes will happen to who, how many children were born, etc. He also mentions the information during the conversation. The murshid (teacher) who expressed his reaction to the opinion of the fans who came next, becomes a prophetic saint in their eyes.
Sayyids of the Fergana Valley are distinguished by their politeness and intelligence. Honoring Sayyidzadas, they call father - khonda, mother - poshsha mother, daughter - poshsha khan, daughter-in-law, aunt, aunt - oftab. The daughter-in-law is the sun, the aunt is the sun, but the sun is the sun. they address the housewife with words such as poshsha atobab, atobab ayim to older women, and toram, torams, and hazrat to the husband. This is a glimpse of the normal daily dealings between the household of Sayyids and the people who come into contact with them. They involuntarily bring to mind the cultured, aesthetic taste of families described in the work of our favorite writer Abdulla Qadiri, "O'tkan Kunlar". You might say that the writer chose his characters from the family of such sayyids. Family relationships are even more evident in the Sayyid household here. Mutual respect is also seen in the accented use of the suffix "s" in speech. For example: Let them take away their Taqsirim teas (it is the custom of a wife to pour tea for her husband), her brooms are left in the yard (two cases can be explained here: calling in the plural because of respect; secondly, reprimanding his wife for breaking the arrangement). Sayyid Yahya Khan let them do their homework (order the child to do the lessons).
During our observations and interviews, efforts to avoid rudeness or abusive behavior as much as possible are felt by all members of the household. Children's education is carried out with high pedagogical skills. They are given great freedoms at the expense of a sense of future obligations. Children acquire not only religious, but also worldly knowledge equally. Physical punishment and insulting words are never used against them. Giving children the name of a great person and a holy person puts an end to their abuse, because being rude to a child is also considered disrespectful to the people who are named after him. The main requirement is upbringing, mutual respect, modesty, eloquence (flattering), neat dressing, respect for adults, drawing conclusions based on observing others.
Eshons
Another status with great prestige and influence is Eshans. Eshon (people) means "who are you". In fact, "eshonon" means "many" in Persian. It corresponds to the word ruler of the people and was applied to those who brought religious spirituality to the Islamic world. In Persian, the third person plural is also called eshon. This naming was created due to the respect of a part of Muslims for the Eshans, and for the reasons of other people, according to the Muslim traditions, not only to say the names of respected persons directly in their eyes, but also not to say their names. They - the local people usually call the pronoun "Hazrat" by the common name. This term is used not only for politeness, but also for religious decency.
Also, their students - murids - addressed Eshans as pir, and pirim - teacher. Pir means guide. In fact, Eshon is a title. Eshan is not given through lineage and generation, but comes through sects and leeches. Pir-u-murshids, who have reached the level of enlightenment while giving lessons to their murids and admirers in the path of Islamic religion and commandments, are confirmed through guidance like a genealogy of generations. Eshons can come from Sayyidzads and other people with deep knowledge.
An honor is a status or title that is actually held. However, over time, it has acquired a level of status that is passed down from generation to generation. For example, in the regions of Samarkand, Navoi, Kashkadarya, descendants known as Eshans and Eshonbovas live. They consider themselves the descendants of Caliph Abu Bakr, who was a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Among the population, the descendants of Eshons are called Eshonzodas - children of Eshon. A person who does not belong to Eshans can also rise to the level of Eshans through high religious knowledge.
"Manoqibi Dukchi Eshon" contains the following lines: "Be careful, these days there are more and more Eshons who inherited the title of Eshon." If an ignorant person comes to them and presents a horse, these people will quickly declare this ignorant person as their successor. One should avoid those self-confident liars who have not received any blessings from the Creator and have not received favors from the priests (sheikhs) and have not received any instructions. As our Prophet (pbuh) said: "Whoever is appreciated by the people of the community, then he is one of them." People tried the science and thinking of Eshon, who entered the "status to be occupied" in the socio-religious layer, those who believed in his saintly qualities and were satisfied with his knowledge became murids (disciples) of him.
People ask their trusted elders for help to support them at all times. For example, "Yo Bahavuddin Pirim, my grandparents, use it yourself!" etc. Of course, it is not necessary to be a descendant of the Prophet to be an Eshaan. For this, a person must be mentally and spiritually mature.
