For the following notes, I am indebted to R. J. Leeds, Esq., C. S., Mirzapore, who kindly sent me two Urdú MSS. containing a short family history of the Sádát i Bárha, composed in 1864 and 1869 by one of the Sayyids themselves. As Mr. Leeds has submitted together with his Report ‘a detailed account in English of the history of the Sayyids,’ the following extracts from the Urdú MSS. will suffice.
The date of the arrival in India of the above-mentioned Abul Farah from Wásiṭ is doubtful. The two MSS. mention the time of Iltitmish (Altamsh), and trace the emigration to troubles arising from Hulágú's invasion of Baghdád and the overthrow of the empire of the Khalífahs; while the sons of Abul Farah are said to have been in the service of Shihábuddín Ghorí—two palpable anachronisms.
Abul Farah is said to have arrived in India with his twelve sons, of whom four remained in India on his return to his country. These four brothers are the ancestors of the four branches of the Sayyids. Their names are—
1. Sayyid Dáúd, who settled in the mauza' of Tihanpúr.
2. Sayyid Abulfazl, who settled in the qaçbah of Chhatbanúrá (<Arabic>).
3. Sayyid Abulfazáil, who settled in the mauza' of Kúndlí.
4. Sayyid Najmuddín Husain, who settled in the mauza' of Jhujar.
These four places are said to lie near Patiálá in the Panjáb, and have given rise to the names of the four branches. Instead of Chhatbanúrí, the name of the second branch, the MSS. have also Chhátrauḍí, <Arabic>, or <Arabic>, and Jagnerí (<Arabic>) instead of <Arabic> Jhujarí, although no explanation is given of these alterations.
From Patiálá, the four brothers went to the Duáb between the Ganges and Jamnah, from where a branch was established at Bilgrám in Audh.
The etymology of bárha is stated to be uncertain. Some derive it frrm báhir, outside, because the Sayyids excamped outside the imperial camp; some from bárah imám, the twelve Imáms of the Shí'ahs, as the Sayyids were Shí'ahs; some derive it from twelve (bárah) villages which the family held, just as the district of Balandshahr, Tahçíl Anúpshahr, is said to contain a bárha of Pat'háns, i. e. 12 villages belonging to a Pathán family; and others, lastly, make it to be a corruption of the Arabic abrár, pious.
The descendants of S. Dáúd settled at Dhásirí; and form the Tihanpúrí branch, those of S. Abulfazl at Sambalhaṛah, and form the Chhatbanúrí or Chhátrauṛí branch; those of S. Abulfazáil went to Majhaṛah, and are the Kúndlíwáls; and those of S. Najmuddín occupied Biḍaulí, and form the Jhujarí, or Jagnerí, branch.
The eighth descendant of S. Dáúd was S. Khán Qír (?) (<Arabic>)*. He had four sons—
1. Sayyid 'Umar Shahíd, who settled in Jánsaṭh, a village then inhabited by Játs and Brahmins. To his descendants belong the renowned brothers mentioned on p. 392, (g).
The occurrence of the name 'Umar shews that he, at any rate, was no Shí'ah.
2. Sayyid Chaman, who settled at Chatorah (<Arabic>), in the Parganah of Jolí-Jánsaṭh. To his descendants belongs S. Jalál, who during the reign of Sháhjahán* is said to have founded K'harwah Jalálpúr in 'Iláqah Sirdhanah, district Mírat'h. His son S. Shams left the imperial service; hence the family declined. He had two sons, Asad 'Alí and 'Alí Açghar, whose descendants still exist in Chatorah and Jalálpúr respectively. They are very poor, and sold in 1843-44 the bricks of the ruined family dwellings in Chatorah for Rs. 10,000 to the Government for the construction of works of irrigation. The buildings in Chatorah are ascribed to S. Muhammad Çaláh Khán, who served in Audh, and died childless.
3. Sayyid Huná (<Arabic>). He settled at Bihárí, Muzaffarnagar. He had six sons—
I. Sayyid Quṭb, whose descendants occupy the village of Biláspúr in the Muzaffarnagar District. From this branch come the Rat'herí Sayyids.
II. S. Sulṭán, whose descendants hold Sirdháolí.
III. S. Yúsuf, whose posterity is to be found in Bihárí and Dhalnah (one MS. reads Dubalnah).
IV. and V. S. Ján and S. Mán, had no offspring.
VI. S. Naçíruddín. To his descendants belongs S. Khán Jahán i Sháhjahání, p. 392 (d.). On him the Sayyids appear to look as the second founder of their family. His first son, S. Mançúr built Mançúrpúr, and his descendant hold now-a-days Mançúrpúr and K'hataulí; his second son Muzaffar Khán [Sher Zamán] built Muzaffarnagar, where his descendants still exist, though poor or involved.
4. Sayyid Ahmad. He settled at <Arabic> in Jolí-Jánsaṭh, where his descendants still are. The MSS. mention Tátár Khán, and Díwán Yár Muhammad Khán as having distinguished themselves in the reign of Aurangzíb.
One of the descendants of S. Abulfazl is called S. Hasan Fakhruddín who is said to have lived in the reign of Akbar at Sambalhaṛah, the rájahs of which place were on friendly terms with the family. His son, S. Nadhah, is said to have had four sons—
I. Sayyid 'Alí.
II. Sayyid Ahmad, a descendant of whom, S. Raushan 'Alí Khán, served under Muhammad Sháh.
III. S. Tájuddín, whose son, S. 'Umar, settled at Kakraulí.
IV. S. Sálár (perhaps the same on p. 392, l. 11 from below), who had two sons S. Haidar Khán, and S. Muhammad Khán. The descendants of the former settled at Míránpúr, which was founded by Nawáb S. Shahámat Khán, evidently the same as on p. 392, (l. 10). S. Muhammad Khán settled at K'hatorah (“a village so called, because it was at first inhabited by Káiths”). Among his descendants are S. Nuçrat Yár Khán, (p. 392), and Ruknuddaulah.
S. Abul Fazáil settled at Majhaṛah, which is said to have been so called, because the site was formerly a jungle of múnj grass. The MSS. say that many Sayyids of the branch are mafqúd-ulkhabar, i. e., it is not known what became of them. The Kúndlíwáls which now exist, are said to be most uneducated and live as common labourers, the condition of Majhaṛah being altogether deplorable.
The Kúndlíwals are now scattered over Majhaṛah, Háshimpúr, Tisang,* Tanderah, &c.
The son of S. Najmuddín, S. Qamaruddín, settled at Biḍaulí. A descendant of his, S. Fakhruddín left Biḍaulí and settled at <Arabic> in Jolí-Jánsaṭh, and had also zamíndárís in Chandaurí Chandaurah, Tulsípúr, and K'harí. Now-a-days many of this branch are in Biḍaulí, 'Iláqah Pánípat, and Dihlí.
The chief places where the Sayyids of Bárha still exist are—Míránpúr, K'hataulí, Muzaffarnagar, Jolí, Tis-ha, Bak'herah, Majhaṛah, Chataurah, Sambalhaṛah, Tisang, Biláspúr, Mornah, Sandháolí, Kailáodah, Jánsaṭh.
After the overthrow of the Tihanpúrí brothers [p. 392, (g.)], many emigrated. Sayyids of Bárha exist also in Lak'hnau, Barelí, 'Aṉwlah, in Audh; also in Nagínah, Maiman, and Chándpúr in the Bijnor district. A branch of the Jolí Sayyids is said to exist in Púrniah (Bengal), and the descendants of the saint 'Abdullah Kirmání of Bírbhúm claim likewise to be related to the Bárha Sayyids.