shaykh

A general title of respect.

The term shaykh (also sheikh), can be applied to an elderly man, a tribal chief, a ruler of a shaykhdom along the Persian Gulf, a village chief, a religious scholar, a senator, or a Sufi master. The early caliphs were known as shaykhs. Shaykh al-Islam was the title given to the chief mufti (jurist) of the Ottoman Empire, who had direct access to the sultan and served as the highest-ranking legal administrator.

— MARILYN HIGBEE

Word meaning an old man with gray hairs. Came to mean a respected leader and in Islam a religious teacher or person learned in religion or respected for piety.