Sheikh

The term sheikh (Arabic شيخ Shaykh, Shaykh DMG, plural Schuyūch شيوخ / šuyūḫ or Maschāyich مشايخ / mašāyiḫ ) is an Arabic honorific used since pre-Islamic times for men of rank and status. It is used in both secular and religious contexts. However, even a certain age is a prerequisite for keeping the title. Ibn Manzur defined in its Arabic lexicon Lisan al - ʿ Arab Sheik to as someone " whose age is advanced and whose hair has turned white. "

As a secular title

Even in the pre-Islamic Arab tribal society, the term referred to " Sheikh " the head of a tribe or clan. Later it was used also for the leaders of other groups, such as guilds or of the men's societies of Futuwwa, or for the head of a place, the Shaykh al - Balad ( Shaykh al - balad ). At the political level, the term soon came to use. So the Vizier as " Sheikh of the Almohads " ( Shaykh al - muwaḥḥidīn ) was described for example in the Hafsids, that the Hafsids considered as heirs of the Almohads in view of the fact. Ibn Battuta reported that the residents of Mogadishu titled her as Sultan Sheikh at his time. The Ottomans used the title of Sheikh al - Balad in the 18th century for the most powerful Bey in Cairo. Even today there are in the Gulf region various dominions, whose heads are dubbed Sheikh.

As a religious title

The Sheikh title is beyond an early stage in various religious contexts use. For example, the first two caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al - Khattab ", the two sheiks " ( aš - šaiḫāni ) How were often called. The same expression was also used for the authors of the two most important hadith collections, al -Bukhari and Muslim ibn al - Hajjaj. The Syrian Nizāriten who were known as the Assassins in Europe, called their leader Rashid ad-Din Sinan as Shaykh al - Jabal ( " the Old Man of the Mountains" ). In the Ottoman Empire was called the Mufti of Istanbul, who was standing at the top of the religious hierarchy of the state, as Shaykh al - Islām. Similarly, the term function encountered even today in Egypt. Here, the title Shaykh al -Azhar called the Imam of al -Azhar Mosque, who is also the rector of al -Azhar University and therefore is the most important religious authority in the state.

Particularly great importance has received the Sheikh- concept in Sufism. He referred to the spiritual master, leads man to the mystical path ( tariqa ). Counterpart to the Sheikh is in Sufi terminology the murid ( lit. " the wills "). This one is called who has the will to follow the path of knowledge under the guidance of a sheikh. The proper handling of the murid with his Sheikh is one of the most important rules of Sufism. To be successful in its efforts, the murid all the authority of his sheikh must submit. In support of this doctrine is in the Sufi manuals usually on the Qur'anic story of Moses and the servant of God (Sura 18:60-82 ) referred to, which is identified in the Islamic tradition with al - Khidr. In the Persian language area of ​​basically the same significant Pīr term is often used for the Sufi sheikh.

Even today there are many Sufi orders the institution of the sheikhs. The state of the sheikhs forms, for example, the religious elite within the Senegalese Order of Muridiyya. Only those who have gathered adepts to be allowed to refer to as Sheikh. By 1970 there were in the Muridiyya approximately 300 to 400 sheikhs. Many of them were active with its adepts as an entrepreneur in agriculture. Sufi sheikhs act in the present in many places no longer as strong as a spiritual leader, but as a mediator of Baraka and " divine energy " ( FAID ).

As the " sheiks " ( mašāyiḫ ) are also referred to the religious dignitaries of the Alawites. Sheikh may apply to the Alawites, however, only be, who himself comes from a family of sheikhs, is an initiation has undergone and has vervolllkomnet his religious training for several months at a sheikh. An important task of the most knowledgeable in astrology sheikhs is to select favorable dates for the beginning of harvest, marriages, and sales transactions. In addition, they are responsible for the maintenance of the Alawite Ziyara sanctuaries and provide for compliance with the customs in their community. Finally, they still responsible for the regulation of marriage, divorce and inheritance matters. For this, they enjoy the reverse is not only a high reputation, but also a substantial income in the form of their due zakat.

The Yazidis, who are from a Sufi orders, the ʿ Adawiya, emerged form sheikhs, pirs and murids three Erbkasten. The caste of the sheikhs is again divided into three endogamous subgroups Schamsānīs (descendants of Ēzdīna Mīr ), the Adani (descendants of Sheikh Hesen ) and the Qatanīs (descendants of Sheikh Adi's brothers ).

Early on there were in the Sufi orders, the tendency to the formation of a spiritual hierarchy. The head of the Order was then referred to as Shaykh at- Tariqa. In Egypt, early 19th century, Muhammad Ali Pasha led as part of its policy of centralization the office of a " sheikh of sheikhs " ( Shaykh aš - šuyūḫ ), who was responsible for the oversight of all the Sufi orders. In this way, Muhammad Ali was hoping to be able to control the Order better.

Use in the German speaking

According to the etymological dictionary of Pfeifer established itself in the German speaking Sheikh for ' Arab tribal prince, potentate, ruler ' since the 17th century through travel literature at first in different spellings layers, Schegh, Shaykh, Shaykh. A pejorative transferred use for ' bad soldier ' develops in the language of soldiers in the 20th century, then also commonly used for ' nasty guy '. A sheik or a person who has come in oriental room through the production of oil wealth is also colloquially referred to as an oil sheikh. Accordingly, as Scheichtum is called with a sheikh as head often a territory.