BahaiGlossary.org
What is the Bahá'í Glossary?
The Bahá'í vocabulary has many Arabic and Persian words that may be unfamiliar to non-native speakers and newcomers to the Bahá'í Faith. This glossary is designed to help Bahá'ís learn to pronounce these words according to the pronunciation guide established and promoted by Shoghí Effendí.
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Language of Origin:
Shaykh 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.
While the term shaykh also refers to a man over 40or 50 years old generally, usually a person is known as a shaykh when they have completed their undergraduate university studies in Islamic studies and are trained in giving lectures.
