Sheikhdom among Muslims: A Historical Study of its Religious and Scientific Concepts during the Centuries (6-10 AH / 12-16 AD)

Abstract

In modern Islamic society, “Sheikh” generally refers to an elder, righteous, or knowledgeable person, with its meaning being self-explanatory. Historically, however, the meaning, especially in the context of the administrative structure of Islamic society in general during the Zengid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk reigns, varies widely from its modern context. Historically, “Sheikh” was used to designate administrative employees in society, especially in their capacity in the Islamic state, signifying their professional status within society’s administrative organization. In a modern context, this study aims at analyzing the nature and scope of their professional roles, specifically sheikhs, describing their job descriptions, importance, major scholars designated with such a status, as well as the Islamic families from which these scholars hailed within the general Islamic society. One major inference to be realized from such an analysis is that the sheikhdom comprised multiple professionals in society, especially those in science, due to its importance to Islamic society. Many Islamic families aimed to acquire such a status, with the inevitable goal of maintaining it in subsequent generations, for which they sought to provide their progeny with comprehensive Islamic studies, a necessary foundation to lead as sheikhs in society.