An Arabic word that literally means "noble" or "illustrious," especially by virtue of one's lineage.
In the first few centuries of the Muslim era, sharif (pl., ashraf or shurafa) was used to refer to members of the prominent Arab families that made up the typically landed aristocracy of the expanding Muslim domains. Much like its rough equivalent sayyid, however, use of sharif as an honorific was gradually limited to scions of the clan of the prophet Muhammad (that is, the Banu Hashim), and eventually was further restricted to Muhammad's direct descendants through his grandsons Hasan and Husayn. In Mecca, Medina, and their environs, the custom developed of applying the title sharif almost exclusively to descendants of Hasan, with sayyid referring to descendents of Husayn. Under Ottoman rule the senior member of the Arabian sharifs was recognized as the semiautonomous governor of Mecca and the keeper of its sacred sanctuary.
— SCOTT ALEXANDER
