People with the surname Zaidi trace their origins to the Islamic Holy City of Mecca, located in present-day Saudi Arabia. Descendants of Zaid ibn Ali are known as Sayyid, an honorific title bestowed upon to the descendants of Muhammad.The Zaidi surname is derived from Zaid ibn Ali, the son of Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin, who was the great grandson of the Prophet, Muhammad. Descendants of Zaid ibn Ali who chose to move away from the Arabian Peninsula and have the surname Zaidi are commonly located in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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.
The use of the surname Al-Zaidi to designate one's madhhab, which 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 madhhab, whose adherents are found in Yemen.
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 Iraq, Iran and Pakistan.[1]
The largest group of Zaidis is known as Saadat-e-Bara. Saadat means descendant of 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
Sadaat-e-Saithal is a branch of SADAAT -E-BARA.Sometimes pronounced As Sadaat-e-Barha
are a community of Syyids Originally from the group of twelve villages situated in the muzaffarnagar District of Uttar Pradesh,in India.
This community had considerable influence during the reign of the Mughal Empire.
The ancestor of "Barha Sadaat" Syed abu'l Farah ALHussaini,Al Wasiti son of Sayyid Daud ALHussaini,who came to GHAZNI in Afghanistan, from WASIT ,Iraq
at the invitation of Mahmud Ghaznavi the beginning of the 11th centuary Migrated to India
He had twelve sons of whom four settled in India
where he obtained four estates in Punjab
Over time,Abu'l farah's descendants had taken over Barha Riyasat (township) in Patiala.
There are four Subdivision of Barha Sadaat at Muzaffarnagar
1st is the Tihaanpuri,whose chief town was Jansath----Syed Najm Uddin.
2nd is the Chatraudi,whose chief town was Sambhalhera----Syed Abu'l Fazaail
3rd is the Kundliwaal,whose chief town was Mujhera ----Syed Daoud
4th is the Jajneri whose chief town was Bidauli ----Syed Abu'l Faraaish
SADAAT-E SAINTHALare the descendants of -
Syed Abu'l Farah Wasiti---who came India in 1006AD
Syed Abu'l Fazaail ---Chatraudi(Sambhalhera)