“Shiek” redirects here. For the alter-ego of Princess Zelda, see Princess_Zelda#Sheik.
Sheikh, also rendered as
Sheik,
Shaykh or
Shaikh (
Arabic:
شيخ), is a word in the
Arabic language (literaly: elder) means elder of a tribe, lord, revered wise man, or
Islamic scholar. A daughter or wife of a Sheikh is sometimes called
Sheikhah (Arabic:
شيخة).
The term literally means a man of old age, and it is used in that sense in
Qur'anic Arabic. 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 title is not only used by
Muslims; it is also used by
Arab Christians for elder men of stature, showing that it is independent of religion. Its usage and meaning is similar to the Latin
senex meaning old man, from which the English "
senator" is derived. It is also used to refer to scholars of various
Islamic sciences such as
faqihs,
muftis, and
muhaddiths.
In
Sufism tariqah (orders), it is 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).
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.
For example, it was the term used in the West to refer to the
leaders of
Kuwait's ruling
al-Sabah dynasty, but the monarchic style was actually
Hakim (Arabic 'ruler') until
June 19,
1961, when Kuwait joined the
Arab League, and the title
Emir was adopted; similarly in
Bahrain and
Qatar. In fact it is used by every male member of all the Gulf royal houses.
It 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.
In Lebanon, the title and its equivalent female form is used for officially addressing members of the high-status Christian families such as, in chronological order of the Maronite families who first had this title bestowed upon them: El-Hachem (of Akoura - 1523- who ruled current Jbeil, Batroun and parts of Becharri casa), El-Khazen (of Keserwan, who ruled the keserwan area), and El-Daher (of Zgharta).
The title is sometimes more informally used to people who have a certain financial or political influence.
Please note that the term is not used for the seven traditional Beirutian families, but primarily for the first families mentioned. The other families that have this term (such as El-Dahdah, El-Gemayel, Hobeich...) are second and third degree Sheikhs because unlike those three families, they didn't rule any territory in previous ages, but were high ranked employees in the Ottoman Empire).
The
Persian word "
Shah" (King) is liguistically related to "Sheikh".
References
- History of El Douaihy
- History of the Maronites and Lebanon
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Arabic
فقه
Transliteration
Fiqh
Translation
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Qur'an and Sunnah is an often quoted Islamic term regarding the sources of Islam.
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Minhaj may refer to:
- Minhaj
- Minhaj-ul-Quran
- Al Minhaj Be Sharh Sahih Muslim
- Minhaj us Sawi
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Arabic
فقه
Transliteration
Fiqh
Translation
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Istihlal (Arabic: استحلال istiḥlāl
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This article has been tagged since October 2007.
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makruh (Arabic مكروه, also transliterated makrouh, makrūh etc.) is a disliked or offensive act (literally "hated"). Though it is not haram
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Ulema (علماء, transliteration:
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