Sheikh (pronounced /??i?k/ SHEEK or /??e?k/ SHAYK; Arabic: ???? šay?, mostly pronounced [?e?x], plural ???? šuy??; Hebrew: ????????? Standard ha-shäyk) — also spelled Sheik, Shayk, Shaikh or Shekh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor". It is commonly used to designate the front man of a tribe who got this title after his father, or an Islamic scholar who got this title after graduating from a basic Islamic school. It is often used also with the same significance in various Jewish cultures, particularly among Judaeo-Arabic speakers. Sheikha is the female equivalent of the term. A sheikh who is wise is called ?ak?m adjective (wise) ?????, ??kim noun (governor) ?????, ya?kum verb (govern) ?????; and can govern. The scholar sheikh here can govern but cannot lead directly because the leader is the imam which is based upon the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah; on the other hand the family sheikh can always lead but cannot govern unless he is wise. Although the title generally refers to a male, a very small number of female sheikhs have also existed.It also refers generally to a man over forty years of age. 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. Usually, a person is known as a sheikh when he has completed his undergraduate university studies in Islamic studies and is trained in giving lectures. The word sheikh under this meaning is a synonym of Alim, plural Ulama (a learned person in Islam, a scholar), Mawlawi, Mawl?n?, Muhaddith, Faq?h, Qadi, Mufti, Hadhrat or Hafiz.
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