Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Cheikh, Shaikh, and other variants (Arabic: شيخ‎, shaykh; pl. شيوخ‎ shuyūkh), is a word or honorific term in the Arabic language that literally means "elder". Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Plural is a Grammatical number, typically referring to more than one of the Referent in the real world Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The term Elder (or its equivalent in another language is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority It is commonly used to designate an elder of a tribe, a lord, a revered wise man, or an Islamic scholar. A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use Ulema ( ar علماء,, singular ar عالِم,, "scholar" refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several Although the title generally refers to a male person, there existed in history also a very small number of female sheikhs.

It also refers to a man over 40^[1] or 50^[2] years old generally or a Muslim who is a student of knowledge. Whilst even a new Muslim can be called a Sheikh if he is diligent in seeking the knowledge of Islam based upon the Quran and authentic Sunnah, he can be referred to as such to those he can teach. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Sunnah ar (سنة plural سنن Sunan literally means “trodden path” and therefore the sunnah of the prophet means “the way and the manners of the prophet” And usually a person is known as a Sheikh when they have completed their undergraduate university studies in Islamic studies and are trained in giving lectures. ^[3]

The word Sheikh is not to be confused with an Alim, pl. Ulema ( ar علماء,, singular ar عالِم,, "scholar" refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several Ulema, (a learned person in Islam, a scholar)^[4], Mawlawi, Mawlana, Muhaddith, Faqih, Qadi, Mufti, Hadhrat or Hafiz. Ulema ( ar علماء,, singular ar عالِم,, "scholar" refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several Mawlawi (also spelled Maulvi, Moulvi and Mawlvi Persian مولوی is an honorific Islamic religious title often but not exclusively given Muhaddith is an Islamic title referring to one who profoundly knows and narrates Hadiths the chains of their narration ( asaneed) and the original and famous A Faqih (plural Fuqaha') (فقيه pl فقهاء is an expert in Fiqh, or Islamic Jurisprudence. Qadi (also known as Qazi or Kazi or Kadi) (قاضي is a judge ruling in accordance with the Sharia, Islamic religious law This article is about an Islamic scholar Mufti can also refer to civilian dress. Hadrat or Hazrat or Hadhrat (حضرات is an honorific Arabic title used to honor a person Hafith or Hafiz ( Arabic: حافظ قرآن or حافظ plural huffaz) literally meaning 'guardian' is a term used by Muslims in modern

Etymology and meaning

The classical Western image of a 'sheikh': Sheikh Sattam de Haddadin of Palmyra, by Russian painter Alexandr Evgenievich Yacovleff. Palmyra ( Arabic: تدمر Tadmor) was in ancient times an important city of central Syria, located in an Oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending

The word in Arabic stems from a triliteral root connected with age and ageing: ش-ي-خ, shīn-yā'-khāf. In the terminology used to discuss the grammar of the Semitic languages and some other Afro-Asiatic languages, a triliteral ( Arabic: جذر ثلاثي The term literally means a man of old age, and it is used in that sense in Qur'anic Arabic. Classical Arabic (CA also known as Qur'anic or Koranic Arabic, is the form of the Arabic language used in literary texts from Umayyad Later it came to be a title meaning leader, elder, or noble, especially in the Arabian Peninsula, where shaikh became a traditional title of a Bedouin tribal leader in recent centuries. The term Elder (or its equivalent in another language is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) The Bedouin, (from the Arabic (ar بدوي pl badū) are a desert-dwelling Arab Nomadic pastoralist, or previously Due to the cultural impact of Arab civilization, and especially through the spread of Islam, the word has gained currency as a religious term or general honorific in many other parts of the world as well, notably in Muslim cultures in Africa and Asia. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

While the title can be used religiously by Muslims to designate a learned person, as an Arabic word it is essentially independent of religion. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion It is notably used by Druze for their religious men, but also by Arab Christians for elder men of stature. The Druze ( Arabic: درزي derzī or durzī, plural دروز durūz) are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon The Druze ( Arabic: درزي derzī or durzī, plural دروز durūz) are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon Its usage and meaning is similar to the Latin senex meaning old man, from which the English "senator" is derived. A senate is a Deliberative body, often the Upper house or chamber of a Legislature or Parliament. Accordingly, the Arabic term for eg. the US Senate is majlis al-shuyukh, meaning the Senators' Council, but more literally the Council of Elders. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives

As a secular honorific

The title is sometimes more informally used to people who have a certain financial or political influence, but especially in relation to royalty and other nobility. Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime In the Persian Gulf States the title is used for men of stature, whether they are managers in high posts, wealthy business owners, or local rulers. The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region is an extension of the For example, it was the term used in the West to refer to the leaders of Kuwait's ruling al-Sabah dynasty, even though the monarchic style was actually Hakim (Arabic 'ruler') until June 19, 1961, when Kuwait joined the Arab League, and the title Emir was adopted. The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed The House of Al-Sabah (الصباح are the royal family of Kuwait. Events 1179 - The Norwegian Battle of Kalvskinnet outside Nidaros. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Arab League ( الجامعة العربية) officially called the League of Arab States ( جامعة الدول العربية Emir ( Arabic: ar أمير;, female أميرة; emira;) ( Farsi and Urdu: امیر) The same applied to Bahrain and Qatar. The Kingdom of Bahrain (in مملكة البحرين,, literally Kingdom of the Two Seas) is an Island country in the Persian Gulf Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated The term is used by almost every male member of all the Gulf royal houses with the exception of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi

In Lebanon, the title and its equivalent female form (shaykha) are commonly used when addressing members of the traditional noble Christian feudal families such as, in chronological order of the Maronite families who first had this title bestowed upon them: El-Hachem (Hashemite) of Akoura (since 1523, ruled the current Jbeil casa and the north till the Sir El Donnieh region), El-Khazen (since 1545, ruled the Kiserwan area) and El Daher of Zgharta. Lebanon (ˈlɛbənɒn Arabic: ar لبنان Lubnān) officially the Republic of Lebanon or Lebanese Republic (ar الجمهورية اللبنانية A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed Maronites ( الموارنة,, Syriac: ܡܪܘܢܝܐ, Latin: Ecclesia Maronitarum) are members of one of the Syriac Hashemite is the Latinate version of the Arabic: هاشمي ( Transliteration: Hāšimī and traditionally refers to those belonging to the Banu Hashim Hashemite is the Latinate version of the Arabic: هاشمي ( Transliteration: Hāšimī and traditionally refers to those belonging to the Banu Hashim Byblos ( Βύβλος) is the Greek name of the Phoenician city Gebal (earlier Gubla) El Zaher or El Daher ( Arabic: ‬الظاهر Zgharta, or Zghorta (زغرتا Arabic) is a large town in North Lebanon, with an estimated population of around 70000 The term sheikh is known to have been bestowed upon the families who battled with the Emir Fakhr al-Din in the historical battle of Anjar. Emir ( Arabic: ar أمير;, female أميرة; emira;) ( Farsi and Urdu: امیر) Note that the term is not used for the seven traditional Beiruti families, but primarily for the above-mentioned three families. Beirut (بيروت Bayrūt) is the Capital and Largest city of Lebanon with a population of over 2 The other families that have this term (such as El-Dahdah, Gemayel, El-Khoury. . . . . )are second and third degree sheikhs, because unlike the above mentioned three families, they did not rule any territory in previous ages. Instead, they were high-ranking employees or secretaries (kouttab) (such as Hobeich (since 1567) of Ghazir) in the Ottoman Empire, or political 'allies' of the rulers of the time, which provided them a certain financial status. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish

In Pakistan and rest of South Asia, the title Shaikh signifies the Arab ancestry. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Muslim technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and Sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world to Islamic Sultanate in South Asia and many settled in the Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف The Delhi Sultanate ( Urdu: دلی سلطنت, दिल्ली सलतनत or Sultanat e Hind ( سلطنتِ هند; सलतनत ए ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and

Religious usage

The term is often used by Muslims to address learned men of various Islamic sciences, such as faqihs, muftis, and muhaddiths, and more generally to convey respect for religious authorities. A Faqih (plural Fuqaha') (فقيه pl فقهاء is an expert in Fiqh, or Islamic Jurisprudence. This article is about an Islamic scholar Mufti can also refer to civilian dress. Muhaddith is an Islamic title referring to one who profoundly knows and narrates Hadiths the chains of their narration ( asaneed) and the original and famous In Sufism tariqah (orders), it is often useda as an honorific for an elder Sufi who has been authorized by the order to teach, initiate and guide aspiring murids & dervishes, as such, he is also known as, in Arabic, as a formal Murshid (lit: Guide). Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Tariqah ( ar طريقه; pl طرق; Ṭuruq or Persian: Tarighat, Turkish: Tarikat) means "way" Murid ( مريد) is a Sufi term meaning 'committed one' It refers to a person who is committed to a teacher in the spiritual path of Sufism Darvesh or Dervish ( Arabic and Persian: درویش) as it is known in European languages refers to members of Sufi Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Pir ( Persian: (پیر literally "old " is a title for a Sufi master

The term is and/or was also used in certain Islamic parts of Africa, as in imperial Ethiopia by the hereditary Muslim rulers of Bela Shangul, and by certain Muslim notables of Wollo, Tigray and Eritrea. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion For other uses please see Tigre (disambiguation Tigray Region (ትግራይ ክልል Tigrāy Kilil) is the northernmost of the nine Eritrea () ( Ge'ez: ኤርትራ ʾErtrā, Arabic: إرتريا Iritriya) officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in

For women

A daughter or wife of a Shaykh is sometimes called Shaykhah (Arabic: شيخة‎). Although the title generally refers to a male person, there existed in history also a very small number of female sheikhs.

Surname

In Pakistan this surname is commonly known to be descents of the Mughul Empire.

References and Notes

See also

• Shaikhs in South Asia
• Punjabi Shaikh
• Kashmiri Shaikh
• Khawaja Shaikh
• Qanungoh Shaikh
• Siddiqui
• Shaikh Siddiqui
• Qallu

References

• Shaikh Siddiqui
• History of El Douaihy
• History of the Maronites and Lebanon
• "History of Lebanon" by Kamal Salibi