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Sheikh Sattam de Haddadin of Palmyra, by Russian painter Alexandr Evgenievich Yacovleff.

Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh or Shaikh (Arabic: شيخ‎), is a word in the Arabic language (literally: elder) meaning elder of a tribe, lord, revered wise man, or Islamic scholar. A daughter or wife of a Sheikh is sometimes called Sheikhah (Arabic: شيخة‎). Although the title generally refers to a male person, there existed in history also a small number of female sheikhs.

The term literally means a man of old age, and it is used in that sense in Qur'anic Arabic. Later it came to be a title meaning leader, elder, or noble, especially in the Arabian Peninsula, where shaikh became a traditional title of a Bedouin tribal leader in recent centuries.

The title is not only used by Muslims; it is also used by Druze for religious men and used by Arab Christians for elder men of stature, showing that it is independent of religion. Its usage and meaning is similar to the Latin senex meaning old man, from which the English "senator" is derived. It is also used to refer to scholars of various Islamic sciences such as faqihs, muftis, and muhaddiths.

In Sufism tariqah (orders), it is an honorific for an elder Sufi who has been authorized by the order to teach, initiate and guide aspiring murids & dervishes, as such, he is also known as, in Arabic, as a formal Murshid (lit: Guide).

In the Persian Gulf States the title is used for men of stature, whether they are managers in high posts, wealthy business owners, or local rulers.

For example, it was the term used in the West to refer to the leaders of Kuwait's ruling al-Sabah dynasty, but the monarchic style was actually Hakim (Arabic 'ruler') until June 19, 1961, when Kuwait joined the Arab League, and the title Emir was adopted; similarly in Bahrain and Qatar. In fact it is used by every male member of all the Gulf royal houses with the exception of Saudi Arabia.

It was also used in certain Islamic parts of Africa, as in imperial Ethiopia by the hereditary Muslim rulers of Bela Shangul, and by certain Muslim notables of Wollo, Tigray and Eritrea.

In Lebanon, the title and its equivalent female form are commonly used when addressing members of the traditional Christian feudal families such as, in chronological order of the Maronite families who first had this title bestowed upon them: El-Hachem (Hashemite) (since 1523, ruled current Jbeil casa and the north till Becharri casa), El-Khazen (since 1545, ruled the Keserwan area), and El Douaihy of Zgharta. The term sheikh is known to have been bestowed upon the families who battled with Fakhr El Dine in the historical battle of Anjar. Note that the term is not used for the seven traditional Beiruty families, but primarily for the above mentioned three families. The other families that have this term (such as Gemayel, Harb, Dahdah...) are 2nd and 3rd degree sheikhs because unlike the above mentioned three families, they did not rule any territory in previous ages, but were high ranked employees or secretaries (such as Hobeich of Ghazir) in the Ottoman Empire or were political followers of the rulers of the time, which provided them a certain financial status. The title is sometimes more informally used to people who have a certain financial or political influence.

The Persian word "Shah" (King) is linguistically related to "Sheikh".

• History of El Douaihy
• History of the Maronites and Lebanon
• "History of Lebanon" by Kamal Salibi