Shaikh, also rendered as Sheikh, Sheik, Shaik, Shaykh, Shaikh, Shekh, Cheikh, Šeih, Šejh, Şeyh and other variants (Arabic: شيخ, shaykh; pl.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2023) |
It originally was a word or honorific term in the Arabic language that commonly designated a chief of a tribe, royal family member, Muslim religious scholar, or "Elder". However in Northern India, Shaikh was used as an ethnic title, by those claiming Arab descent & Upper caste coverts to Islam like Khatris, Brahmins & Rajputs etc, particularly from prominent Muslim figures such as the Rashidun Caliphs, majority of these.
In North India, it is not just an ethnic title but an occupational title attributed to Muslim trading families. Many Shaikhs claimed to be descendants of Arabs, however some Shaikhs did not actually descend from Arabs. In Frontier Regions, Punjab of Pakistan, or Kashmir, the title shaikh was not given to those of Arab descent, but those who had descended from upper caste natives such as the Brahmins or the Rajputs, however in some other regions of North India such as Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh, there are certain Shaikhs of Arab descent.
This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2020) |
The subdivisions of the Shaikh include:
This article uses material from the Wikipedia English article Shaikhs in North India, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license ("CC BY-SA 3.0"); additional terms may apply (view authors). Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
®Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wiki Foundation, Inc. Wiki English (DUHOCTRUNGQUOC.VN) is an independent company and has no affiliation with Wiki Foundation.