Sheikh

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Shaikh, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh or Sheikh (Arabic: شيخ), is a word in the Arabic language meaning elder of a tribe, lord, revered old man, or Islamic scholar. A daughter or wife of a Sheikh (lord) is sometimes called Sheikhah (Arabic: شيخة).

The term literally means a man of old age, and 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.

In Sufi tariqah (orders), it is an honorific for an elder sufi who has been authorized by the order to teach, initiate dervishes (monks) and otherwise lead a sufi circle in a Dargah (monastery). In this sense, it is not restricted to sufi elders, but to any learned men in religion, such as faqihs, muftis, and muhaddiths.

In the Persian Gulf, 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.

The title is often more informally used to address learned men as a courtesy.

The family name "Shaikh" signifies Arab ancestry in South Asia. Shaikh is a multi-ethnic community in South Asia, found particularly in Pakistan and Bangladesh, and generally in India.

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The Shaykh of Sufism

The Sufis use the term in three senses:

1. A Shaykh of barakah (blessing). This can, for example, be someone who inherits leadership of a group of Sufis, who although he does not have the spiritual standing of a genuine Shaykh of Instruction (see no.3) nevertheless has a blessing in that by holding to him his followers have unity and community, as is in the Noble Hadith, "The hand of Allah is with the group (jama'ah)."

2. A Shaykh of Ahwal (states). This is a shaykh who has genuine tasting of the states of Sufism and can transmit them.

3. A Shaykh of Tarbiyah (instruction). This is properly the correct usage of the term Shaykh with the Sufis. This is the realised gnostic ('arif) of Allah, who has been granted idhn (permission and authorisation) by Allah and His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to lead the followers of the path of Sufism to knowledge of Allah. This idhn is not to be confused with ijazah (authorisation) granted by a Shaykh or a scholar to a student to teach. Even if all of the scholars and shaykhs granted their ijazah to a student, he would still not be a Shaykh of Instruction until he had the idhn of Allah and His Messenger.

The customary position with the people of Sufism, particularly in the Shadhili and the Darqawi tariqah, is that a man will not be a shaykh without having had a background in the basic disciplines of the Shari'ah. This is the position of Imam Junayd, may Allah be pleased with him. However, in unusual circumstances there have been exceptions to this rule, among them the famous wali of Allah, Shaykh Abd al-Aziz ad-Dabbagh [1] of Fez, may Allah be merciful to him, and in the Darqawi tariqah, the Shaykh Sidi al-'Arabi ibn al-Huwari from whom Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib took the tariqah.

Note that the courtesy of the path necessitates that those who are regarded by their followers as Shaykhs be acknowledged as such if they belong to one of these three categories, even if properly speaking only the third category is the genuine article.

A great deal of valuable material on some of the above points is contained in the indispensable introduction [2] that Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib wrote to his Diwan.[3]

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