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Shaikh, also rendered as (Arabic: شيخ ); (in Urdu شیخ), is a word or honorific term in the Arabic language that literally means "Scholar". It is commonly used to designate an elder of a tribe, a revered wise man, or an Islamic scholar. Although the title generally refers to a male, a very small number of female sheikhs have also existed in history.
It also refers to a man over 40[1] or 50[2] years old generally. While even a new Muslim can be called a sheikh if he is diligent in seeking the knowledge of Islam based upon the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah, he can be referred to as such by those he teaches. And usually a person is known as a sheikh when they have completed their undergraduate university studies in Islamic studies and are trained in giving lectures.[1]. The word sheikh under this meaning is a synonym of Alim, pl. Ulama, (a learned person in Islam, a scholar)[3], Mawlawi, Mawlānā, Muhaddith, Faqīh, Qadi, Mufti, Hadhrat or Hafiz.
In Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and other parts of South Asia, the title Sheikh signifies Arab descent and comes under high caste of society. However majority are the native Brahmin, Rajput or Khatri tribes which used the title of Sheikh after conversion to Islam. The Muslims of the Middle East and Central Asia have historically, travelled to South Asia as Sufis during the Islamic Sultanates and Mughal Empire and settled permanently and assumed Shaikh status.
By Shahbaaz Shaikh S/o Ashfaq Shaikh