Sheikh (redirected from shaikhs)

sheikh

 or shaykh

Among Arabic-speaking tribes, especially Bedouin, the male head of the family, as well as of each successively larger social unit making up the tribal structure. The sheikh is generally assisted by an informal tribal council of male elders. Within the broader Arabic-speaking community, the word may also be used as a title or form of respectful address or to designate a religious authority. Its significance may vary from region to region.

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sheikh, sheik in Muslim countries

a. the head of an Arab tribe, village, etc.

b. a high priest or religious leader, esp a Sufi master

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Sheikh 

among Arab nomads the head or leader of a clan, tribe, or tribal alliance. In Islamic countries the term also acquired the general meaning of a venerable man; it is most often applied to leaders of Muslim sects and dervish orders (equivalent terms are “pir” and ’”murshid”), prominent theologians, and Muslim jurists. On the southern Arabian Peninsula and in the area of the Persian Gulf, several small states are ruled by sheikhs.