Encyclopedia of Islam

shaykh

 

(sheik, sheikh)

Shaykh is an honorific title used for 

aUthority

figures and holy men in Islamic societies. Origi-

nally applied specifically to older men with gray 

hair in kin-based a

rab

 tribal societies, it has come 

to enjoy wider use in Arab and non-Arab Muslim 

cultures. It is a title of respect for members of the 

Ulama

 who have mastered the religious sciences 

(q

Uran

, 

tafsir

, 

hadith

, and 

fiqh

) and for admin-

istrators of religious institutions such as 

mosqUe

s 

and 

madrasa

s. It has also been given to masters 

in s

UFism

 who have guided their disciples on the 

path to spiritual enlightenment and union with 

the divine Beloved (God). Sufi shaykhs are also 

often deeply venerated and credited with having 

miraculous powers. Indeed, mystical writings 

and poetry speak of how a shaykh can reflect 

the otherworldly light of God and his prophet 

m

Uhammad

. Sufi maxims also teach that anyone 

following the mystical path without a shaykh to 

guide him actually has s

atan

 for a shaykh, which 

implies that such a seeker will ultimately be led 

K  622  

shaykh

---

astray. Female Sufi leaders and spirit mediums 

are called by the feminine form of this word—

shaykha. Since the 15th century, the most highly 

esteemed Muslim scholars and mystics have been 

recognized by the honorific title shaykh al-Islam

(Shaykh of Islam). It was also used as an official 

title in the Ottoman Empire for a high-ranking 

religious scholar appointed by the 

sUltan

. Based 

in Istanbul, he functioned as a 

mUFti

, issuing advi-

sory rulings based on the 

sharia

 regarding issues 

of state as well as private matters.

The term continues to be used in modern con-

texts in a variety of ways. For example, Muslim 

authorities in s

aUdi

  a

rabia

 who are descended 

from  m

Uhammad

 

ibn

  a

bd

 

al

-W

ahhab

 (1703–92), 

the founder of the Wahhabi sect, are called Al 

al-Shaykh (Family of the Shaykh) in his honor. 

The rulers of Arab nations in the Persian Gulf 

region (Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, 

and, until recently, Bahrain) are called shaykhs 

and their countries are known as shaykhdoms.

Whether the term applies to a tribal authority, 

religious scholar, Sufi master, revivalist leader, or 

head of state, its bearer is due respect and defer-

ence by others, especially those with lower status. 

The equivalent to shaykh in Persian is pir, with a 

comparable range of meanings, but especially in 

Sufi contexts. It is used in eastern Muslim lands 

such as i

ran

, p

akistan

, and i

ndia

.

See also  g

UlF

  s

tates

; 

murshid

;  o

ttoman

d

ynasty

.