Sheikh ( ,
In some countries, it is given as a surname to those of great knowledge in religious affairs, by a prestigious religious leader from a silsila of Sufi scholars. The word is mentioned in the Qur'an in three places: verse 72 of Hud, 78 of Yusuf, and 23 of al-Qasas.
A royal family member of the United Arab Emirates and some other Arab countries, also has this title, since the ruler of each emirate is also the sheikh of their tribe.
Etymology and meaning
The word in Arabic stems from a
Semitic root connected with aging: ش-ي-خ,
shīn-yā'-khā'. The title carries the meaning leader, elder, or
nobility, especially in the Arabian Peninsula within the Tribes of Arabia, where
Shaikh became a traditional title of a
Bedouin tribal leader in recent centuries. Due to the cultural impact of
Arab people 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
Islamic culture in
Africa and
Asia.
Sufi term
In
Sufism (
tasawwuf), the word
shaikh is used to represent a spiritual guide who initiates a particular order (
tariqa) which leads to
Muhammad, although many
awliya have this title added before their names out of respect from their followers. A couple of prominent examples are Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, who initiated the
Qadiriyya order, and Sheikh
Ahmad al-Tijani, who initiated the
Tijaniyyah Sufi order.
[Abun-Nasr, Jamil M. (2007). Muslim Communities of Grace: The Sufi Brotherhoods in Islamic Religious Life. Columbia University Press. p. 94. .]
Regional usage
Arabian Peninsula
In the Arabian Peninsula, the title is used for
tribal chief. This also includes
royal family in most of Eastern Arabia, where the royal families were traditionally considered tribal chiefs. For example, it is used by the UAE Al-Nahyan dynasty and
Al Maktoum, who are considered the chiefs of the
Bani Yas tribe, and by
Kuwait's Al Sabah dynasty and
Bahrain's Al Khalifa dynasty of the
Bani Utbah tribal confederation. The term is used by almost every male and female (Sheikha) member of the royal houses of the UAE,
Bahrain,
Qatar, and
Kuwait. The title is not used by members of Al Saud of
Saudi Arabia, where the title "Prince" () is used instead.
The title is also used to refer to Ulama for both Sunni and Shia Muslims. For example, the Saudi Arabian family Al ash-Sheikh (literally House of the Sheikh) is named after the religious leader and eponymous founder of Wahhabism, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
Lebanon
In Lebanon, the title had the same princely and royal connotation as in the Arabian peninsula until the
Ottoman Empire invasion in 1516, since it represented an indigenous autonomous "
sui iuris" ruler or tribal chief.
[A House of Many Mansions: The History of Lebanon Reconsidered, 2001, Kamal Salibi] Examples of some ancient families that hold the title of "sui iuris" sheikh is the
Al-Chemor family, ruling since 1211 CE in
Koura District and
Zgharta until 1747 CE
[ Al-Sheikh Al-Chemor Al-Hakum Al-Akoura Al-Hakum Al-Zawyia by Ignatios Tannous Al-Khoury, Beirut, 1948, pg.123]["Tārīkh al-ṭāʼifah al-Mārūnīyah (Microform, 1890)". WorldCat.org.] and the Boudib family (descendants of the
Hashemite family) who were
rulers of Jebbeh since 1471 CE until 1759 CE. The descendants of this sovereign family now live in
Miziara, Mexico and Nigeria.
Even the Abu Harmoush family heads, which ruled the
Chouf region until the Battle of Ain Dara in 1711 CE, were "sui iuris" sheikhs. After the Ottoman rule and the implementation of the
Iltizam system, the title gained a
Nobility instead of royal connotation, since it was bestowed by a higher authority; in this case the Ottoman appointed
Emir, who was nothing more than a mültezim or tax collector for the
empire.
[Lebanon's Predicament, 1987, Samir Khalaf] Some very influential
Maronite families, who had the title bestowed upon them, are (in chronological order): the El Hachem of Akoura (descendants of the
Hashemite family, since 1523), the
El-Khazen (since 1545), the Hubaysh of
Kisrawan and the
Douaihy of
Zgharta. Other families who are nowadays addressed or known as "sheikhs" were not traditionally rulers of provinces, but instead they were high-ranking officials at the service of the Emir at that time.
Maghreb
In the
Maghreb, during the
Almohad dynasty, the caliph was also counseled by a body of sheikhs. They represented all the different tribes under their rules, including
Arabs, (
Bedouins),
al-Andalus and
Berbers and were also responsible for mobilizing their kinsmen in the event of war.
Horn of Africa
In the Muslim parts of the Horn of Africa, "shaikh" is often used as a noble title. In
Somali people society, it is reserved as an honorific for senior Muslim leaders and clerics (
wadaad), and is often abbreviated to "Sh".
Famous local sheikhs include Ishaaq bin Ahmed, an early Muslim scholar and Islamic preacher, Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, an early Muslim leader in
Somaliland; Abadir Umar Ar-Rida, the patron saint of
Harar; Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti, Sheikh of the riwaq in
Cairo who recorded the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt; Abd Al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i, scholar who played a crucial role in the spread of the
Qadiriyyah movement in Somalia and East Africa;
Shaykh Sufi, 19th century scholar, poet, reformist and astrologist; Abdallah al-Qutbi, polemicist, theologian and philosopher best known for his five-part
Al-Majmu'at al-mubaraka ("The Blessed Collection"); and Muhammad Al-Sumaalee, teacher in the
Masjid al-Haram in
Mecca who influenced many of the prominent Islamic scholars of today.
South Asia
In the
Multiculturalism hub of the
South Asian sub-continent, it is not just an ethnic title but also often an occupational title
attributed to Muslim trading families. After the advent of Islam in
South Asia, many Hindu-Buddhists clans from different castes converted to Islam and adopted the title.
In the
Punjab region,
Ismaili Pirs gave some converts, as well as
Muslims who
emigrated from
Central Asia, especially after the
Mongol conquests , the
hereditary title of Ismaili Shaikhs.
Southeast Asia
In
Indonesia and other parts of
Southeast Asia, sheikhs are respected by local Muslims. In
Indonesia, the term is usually spelled "syech", and this is usually attributed to elderly
ulama. Higher knowledgeable people of Islamic studies in Indonesia are usually referred to as "
ustad" or "
kyai".
Iran
From the perspective of Iran, the word or title of sheikh possesses diverse meanings, among individuals who are aged and wise, it has been an honorific title used for elders and learned scholars, such as: Sheikh al-Rayees
Avicenna, Sheikh Mufid, Sheikh
Morteza Ansari. In the past, Islamic scholars who were the Muhammad's descendants, were called
Sayyid/
Sayyid instead of sheikh.
[ Who/what is Sheikh? porseshkadeh.com Retrieved 28 Oct 2018]
For women
Historically,
ulema in
Islam were referred to as
shaykhah (Arabic: شيخة) (alt.
shaykhat). Notable
shaykha include the 10th-century
Fakhr-un-Nisa and 18th-century scholar Al-Shaykha Fatima al-Fudayliyya.
In 1957, Indonesian education activist Rahmah el Yunusiyah was awarded the title of
syeikah by the faculty of Al-Azhar University, the first time the university had granted the title to a woman.
A daughter, wife or mother of a sheikh is also called a shaykhah. Currently, the term shaykhah is commonly used for women of ruling families in the Arab states of the Arabian Peninsula.
See also
Notes
External links
