HISTORY OF SHEIKH

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh

Sheikh, is a word or honorific term in the Arabic Language that literally means " elder." It is commonly used to designate an elder of a tribe, a revered wise man, or an Islamic Scholar. Although the title generally refers to a male, a very small number of female sheikhs have also existed in history.

Origin: The Shaikh title is used by the descendants of  Arab and other Muslim immigrants who settled in South Asia. In South Asia, the title Shaikh signifies Arab descent. Muslim technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and Sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world to the Islamic Sultanate in South Asia. The Shaikhs of South Asia claims putative descent from these immigrants from the Middle East although, a majority of them are native tribes of South Asia which used the title of  Sheikh after conversion to Islam.

Foreign Muslim Origin: In South Asia, the term Shaikh does not necessarily signify Arab ancestry. From the beginning of Muslim rule in South Asia in 713 AD, technocrats, bureaucrats, soldiers, traders, scientists, architects, teachers, theologians and sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world, to the Islamic Sultanate in South Asia and settled permanently. The descendents of these Arabs usually use the title of Shaikh. Example of communities descended from these immigrants, include the Abbasi, Qureshi, Siddiqui, Ansari, & Osmani.


THE SUBDIVISIONS OF THE SHAIKH INCLUDE:

Shaikh Qureshi, members of the BANU QURAISH. The Prophet MUHAMMAD belonged to this tribe.

Shaikh Hashemi, members of the BANU HASHIM clan of the BANU QURAISH tribe. The Prophet  MUHAMMAD belonged to this clan.

Shaikh Siddiqui, descendants of  HAZRAT ABU BAKAR, the first  Khalifa of Islam.

Shaikh Farooqi, descendants of Hazrat Umar Farooq, the second Khalifa of Islam.

Shaikh Osmani  descendents of Hazrat Usman the third  Khalifa of Islam.

Shaikh Kidwai, descendants of  Qazi Moizuddin Qidwa ,son of Merak  Shah of Rum.

Shaikh Awan, descendants of Ali Ibn Abu Talib Fourth Caliph of Islam .

 

Reference:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gujarati_Shaikh

 

For Women: A daughter or wife of a shaykh is sometimes called shaykhah (Arabic: شيخة‎). Currently, the term shaykhah is commonly used for females of rich families, especially ruling families, in Arab countries.