Sheikh is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim scholar.
Kurdish sheikhs, 1895
Mustafa Sabri Effendi, the second last Shaykh al-Islām (ultimate authority on religious affairs) of the Ottoman Empire and Caliphate, 1919-1920
Sheikh Ali Ayanle Samatar, a prominent Somali Islamic scholar.
Pakistani Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani, a prominent Sunni scholar
In Islam, the ʿulamā, also known as Shuyukh or Mawlawi, are scholars and judges of Islamic doctrine and law. They are considered the guardians, transmitters, interpreters and legislators of religious
Sheikh
…plural: شُيُوخ, shuyūkh ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim scholar. In some countries, it is given as a surname to those of great knowledge in religious affairs, by a prestigious religious leader from a chain of Sufi…
Scholars at an Abbasid library. Maqamat of al-Hariri. Illustration by Yahyá al-Wasiti, Baghdad, 1237.
Endowment Charter (Waqfiyya) of the Hürrem Sultan Mosque, Madrasa and Imaret (soup-kitchen). AD 1556–1557 (AH 964). Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Seyh-ül-Islâm, watercolour, ca. 1809
Iranian Shaykh ul-Islam Mohammad-Baqer Majlesi (1627–1699)