sheikh

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Sheikh of Palmyra.

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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