Sheikh —also transliterated sheekh, sheik, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a tribe or a royal family member in Arabian countries, in some countries it is also given to those of great knowledge in religious affairs as a surname by a prestige religious leader from a chain of Sufi scholars. It is also commonly used to refer to a Muslim religious scholar. It is also used as an honorary title by people claiming to be descended from Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali both patrilineal and matrilineal who are grandsons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The term is literally translated to "Elder". The word 'sheikh' is mentioned in the 23rd verse of Surah Al-Qasas in the Quran.
A khanqah or khangah, also known as a ribat (رباط) – among other terms – is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or tariqa and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation. In the past, and to a lesser extent nowadays, they often served as hospices for saliks, Murids (initiates) and talibs. Khanqahs are very often found adjoined to dargahs and türbes, mosques and madrasas.
Bihari Muslims are adherents of Islam who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Biharis. They are geographically native to the region comprising the Bihar state of India, although there are significantly large communities of Bihari Muslims living elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent due to the Partition of British India in 1947, which prompted the community to migrate en masse from Bihar to East Pakistan.
Sheikh is an Arabic word meaning the elder of a tribe, a revered old man, or an Islamic scholar.
Sheikh, is an Arabic word meaning elder of a tribe, lord, revered old man, or Islamic scholar. The Shaikh of Sindh are one of the larger communities of the Sindhi Muslims ethnic group. They speak the various dialects of Sindhi, depending on their place of residence. The Shaikh are largely an urban community, residing in the towns and cities of Sindh. Shaikhs have different community in them, namely baghdadi, sanjogi, nangani, deewan and chatani.
The Muslim Kayastha, a community of Muslims, are related to the Kayastha of northern India, mainly modern Uttar Pradesh, who converted to Islam during the rule of the Islamic empires in India. The Muslim Kayastha and Nagar Muslims of Uttar Pradesh are considered Shaikh and follow Sunni Hanafi fiqh. The Muslim Kayasths have intermarried with other Muslim communities over the centuries, lost their community consciousness, and consider themselves Urdu speaking Muslims of Pakistan and northern India.
The Manihar are a Muslim community, found mainly in North India.
The Momin Ansari or saudagar are a Muslim community found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. The surname originated from Ansar tribe, the Medinan people who helped the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, in his migration from Mecca to Medina. They were the first tribe in Arabia to accept Islam. The literal meaning of Ansar is "supporter". In North India, the community are known as Ansari or sheikh, while in Maharashtra the community are known as Momin or saudagar
The Qassab (Urdu: قصاب; from the Arabic word قصاب, are members of a north Indian community or biradari. Occasionally most Quresh caste members are referred to as the Qassab. At present, Qassab who are engaged in meat cutting and selling business are referred to as Qureshi.
The Muslim Teli are members of the Teli caste who follow Sunni Islam. They are found in India and Pakistan.
The Bisati` are a Muslim community, found in North India. Many members of this community migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and have settled in Karachi and Sindh.
The Behna are the Muslim community found in the state of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar pradesh, Bihar, and north India.
The Bhatiara are a [[Pashtun people| community, found in North India.
The Shaikh of the Indian state of Rajasthan are part of the wider Shaikh community of South Asia. They form the largest single Muslim community of the state. Many members of Rajasthani Shaikh community have also migrated to Pakistan after independence and have settled in Karachi, Sindh.
The Shaikh are a Muslim community found in the state of Gujarat in India. The Shaikhs of Gujarat have no single definite origin, as anyone could take up the title "shaikh" and thus different groups could be called Shaikhs, regardless of common origin. Socioeconomically, they range from poor labourers to the urban lower class. They speak heavily Gujaratized Urdu.
The Shaikh are a Muslim community found in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. There are four main sections in shaikhs namely siddiqi,farooqi,usmani,abbasi.They were so named because of their scholarly contributions and lineage. Word " Shaikh or Sheikh " is an Arabic title of respect dating from pre-Islamic times; it strictly means a venerable member of society or scholar akin to modern day usage of sir or Persian saheb. They are part of the larger Shaikh community of South Asia. Quite a few Shaikh have immigrated to Pakistan from India, where they form an important element in the Urdu speaking community. Saikhs aren't any family, tribes or caste but they are a title adopted to show economic or social development as per Islam in Arab World but they have formed community in South Asia. They also includes coverts from Kayastha,Baniya, Brahmin. Their surname includes Ahmad, Akhtar, Siddique, Hashimi,Abbasi, Hossain etc
The Sai or sometimes pronounced Sayee are a Muslim community found in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India. They are also known as the Sain.
The Kulhaiya Sheikh is a Muslim community found in the northeastern part of the Indian state of Bihar as well as the terai region of south-east Nepal.
Shaikh, also rendered as Sheikh, Sheik, Shaik, Shaykh, Shaikh, Shekh, Cheikh, Šeih, Šejh, Şeyh and other variants, is a title given to many South Asian Muslim castes. It originally was a word or honorific term in the Arabic language that commonly designated a chief of a tribe, royal family member, Muslim religious scholar, or "Elder". However in South Asia it was used as a title by castes that rarely had any Arab descent.
The Nashya Shaikh or Nashya Sekh is a Muslim community found in northern parts of the state of West Bengal in India. They are culturally and linguistically similar to both people of northern Bangladesh and Goalpara of Assam. A small number of the community are also found in the neighboring state of Bihar, where they are known as the Bengali Shaikh. The group is descended from a set of tribals which were collectively referred to as Koches, who converted to Islam as they were unable to find a favourable position in Hindu society and came to known as the Rajbanshi Muslims. They are homogeneous with the Koch people and are bi-linguistic speaking both Bengali language and Kamatapuri language.
Predominantly Sunni Hanafi Islam