female "sayyids" are given the titles "sayyida", "syeda", "alawiyah" or "sharifa". in some regions of the islamic world, such as in india, the descendants of muhammad are given the title "amīr" or "mīr", meaning "commander", "general". the descendants of muhammed honour the possession of family trees tracing back their ancestry. in other regions, they are called "shah". children of a sayyida mother but a non-sayyid father are referred to as mirza.