Sharīf orSherif (Arabic:شريف, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelledshareef, femininesharīfa (شريفة), pluralashrāf (أشراف),shurafāʾ (شرفاء), or (in theMaghreb)shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, from the family of the Islamic prophetMuhammad (c. 570 CE –632 CE). It may be used in three senses:
The precise usage of the term has varied both historically and geographically.[1]
The word derives from theArabic root sh–r–f, which expresses meanings related to honor, nobility, and prominence.[1] It has no etymological connection with the English termsheriff, which comes from theOld English wordscīrgerefa, meaning "shire-reeve", the localreeve (enforcement agent) of the king in theshire (county).[2]
Precise usage of the term has varied both historically and geographically. Often, the termssharīf andsayyid were used interchangeably, while in other contexts they referred toHasanid vs.Husaynid descent (especially in theHejaz, where theSharifate of Mecca was restricted to persons of Hasanid descent). In still other contexts, they both referred to some form ofHashimite descent, but were linked to a different and specific social status.[1]
In most places, the term has functioned as a mark of nobility (both theAbbasids and theFatimids were at one time holder of thecaliphate), except inSouth Asia, where the meaning of the term has expanded to include all Muslims of foreign descent. Thus, in thecaste system among South Asian Muslims, the termashrāf designates not only Muslims of Arab descent (sayyids or purported descendants of Ali and Fatima, andshaykhs, which include all those who claim descent from theQuraysh or from one of Muhammad'scompanions), but also Muslims ofPasthun or Turko-Mongol (Mughal) descent.[1]
Over time, people who were not of Hashimite descent were sometimes also granted the titlesharīf as a general mark of nobility. The result of this has been that today the termsayyid has become a more common designation for those claiming descent from Muhammad.[1] As such,Sayyid (or one of its many alternative spellings, likeSayyed orSyed) has also become a commonproper name.
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