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People with the surname Zaidi, are the direct descendants of Prophet Muhammad's great-grandson Imam Zain-ul-Abideen whose real name was Ali ibn Husayn through his son Zayd ibn Ali. Zaidi (or people belonging to this family) can be found all over the world especially in Iran and Indo-Pak subcontinent.

The Wasitis [link]

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. These Zaidis believe in twelve Imams and are part of Twelver Shiism. Most of them settled in India and Pakistan.^[1]

In South Asia [link]

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 Jehangiri and 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 11th 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. Kundliwals mainly live in Mujhera, Hashimpur, Valipura, Saifpur, Sikrehra, Khedhi Pachenda and Sarai Rasulpur Chhatraudies live in Sambalhera, Kakrauli,SAIDPURA KALAN, Morna and Kaithora. Their numbers are highest in Karachi (Pakistan) and Muzaffarnagar (India).

Notable people with the surname Zaidi [link]

Art & Literature

• Ali Jawad Zaidi, is an Indian poet, scholar and author
• Ali Naqi Zaidi (Safi Lakhnavi), was a prominent Urdu poet
• Jaffer Zaidi, founder of music band Kaavish
• Mustafa Zaidi, was a renowned Urdu poet of Pakistan

Architect

• Nayyar Ali Zaidi, is a renowned Pakistani architect

Government

• Ijlal Haider Zaidi, is a retired member of the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP)
• Syed Abrar Hussain Zaidi Ministry Of Culture Pakistan Radio TV Artist

. Syed Irtiqa Ahmed Zaidi Ministry of Commerece .

Military

• Maqbool Hussain Zaidi, was the founder of Imambargah Colonel Maqbool Hussain

  Syed Muhammad Ejaz Mustafa,Major Mustafa Zaidi son of Syed Aftab Hussain Abidi,                Holder of Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card for Interdiction of Kargil - Drass Road in 1995, and elder bother of Allama Dr Syed Majid Raza Abidi .Abidi House Karachi

Politician

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

Press& Media

• Shama Zaidi, is an Indian screenwriter, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary filmmaker
• Zaigham Zaidi, is a Pakistani photographer
• Ashar Zaidi, a prominent broadcast sports journalist from Pakistan
• Zain Zaidi, a star football player

Religious

• Ali Ausat Zaidi, was a renowned Urdu Soazkhawan
• Tatheer Hussain Zaidi, runs a Madrassa named Jaamia Islamia Baqiatullah located in Lahore, Pakistan
• Late Allama Azhar Hasan Zaidi
• Late Dr. Manzar Abbas Zaidi, President Saadat Bahira Co-operative Society.
• Late Mazhar Abbas Zaidi, Vice President Shia Mutalbat Committee

Scientist

• Naveed Zaidi, is a British Pakistani scientist who developed the world's first workable plastic magnet at room temperature
• Doctor Syed Anwar Ali Zaidi, was the first Asian Doctor(GP) in Birmingham, England in the fifties.

Educationist

• Late Syed Wazir Hasan Zaidi, was one of the earliest graduates from Aligarh Muslim University, belonging to Sadate Bahra. Served throughout his career in Bahawalpur State. He is known and respected for his devotion and services in imparting real knowledge to many generations of Bahawalpur State. Died in July 1977 and is buried in Rahimyarkhan.

IT Professional

• Zaheer Zaidi, is a Pakistani GIS Developer who developed the Sindh and Balochistan Electroial GIS System.
• Jaffar Zaidi, is a Pakistani IT Manager in Multinational Company.

Sports

• Ashar Zaidi, is a Pakistani first-class cricketer
• Ashish Zaidi, An Indian cricketer
• Said Zaidi, is a Moroccan footballer
• Zulqarnain Zaidi, is a former Pakistani cricketer

Notable people with the surname Wasti [link]

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

See also [link]

• Zaidiyah
• Sayyid
• Saadat-e-Bara

References [link]

1. ^ Article by Sayyid 'Ali ibn 'Ali Al-Zaidi, A short History of the Yemenite Shi‘ites (2005)

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.