Fatwa: Title of the Word Shaykh

Shaykh Yahyaa ibn `Ali Al-Hajoori (hafidhahullaah)

Question: It became a widespread issue among the youth to use the word (shaykh), so when is it permissible to call someone with this title?

The Answer: First of all, Muslims should be careful from excessive flattering; it has been authenticated from Prophet (sallalaahu `alaihi wasallam) that he said:

"Flattering is the slaughtering"(2).

And he-the Prophet Muhammad (sallalaahu `alaihi wasallam) said:

"He who wants to flatter his brother then let him say: I think he is that [good] and Allah is his judge"(3).

Secondly, the word shaykh has many uses, such as the one who is senior in age, and the proof for this is the statement of Allah:

{They said: "We cannot water (our flocks) until the shepherds take back (their flocks): And our father is a very old man."} [Surah Qasas: 23]

It is also used for the narrators of hadeeth who are neither weak nor a hujjah [acceptable evidence]. Ad-Dhahabi said in his book Muqatimaul-Meezaan, and I did not mention those who were called shaykh by others, such saying and it's like indicates that the person called shaykh is not very weak in narration. And it is possible that Ibnul-Qattan[from the scholars of hadeeth in the past] has used the word shaykh to describe someone who is not from the people of knowledge nor he is from the seekers of knowledge even if he narrated a hadeeth which [the scholars of hadeeth] have agreed upon. Ibnul-

Qattan mentioned Taalib bin Hajeer in his book Bayaanul-Wahm wal Ehaam and said he was not a student of knowledge nor from those who are keen in it, rather was a man whose narrations were agreed upon [by the scholars of hadeeth]. Also, Ahmad bin Hanbal said concerning Zakariyyah bin Manthoor : He is a shaykh and soft [in terms of knowledge] , this was mentioned in the book Tarteebul-Madaarik for 'Ayaadh the Judge. And in the same source, he narrated from Ibn abi Haatim [from the scholars of hadeeth in the past] his verdict on 'Uthmaan bin Al-Hakam which is : he is a shaykh who is not keen.

Therefore, this can be summarised as the following: the word shaykh is the least stage of Ta'deel [ considering someone as trustworthy in narration], and the first stage by which jarh [considering to be weak or untrustworthy in narration].

As for calling the master of a tribe or a family as a shaykh then this was not known among the early men [al-mutaqaddimoon], rather the title that was given to the man who rules over his people at their time was sayyed, as it was said by the Prophet Muhammad (sallalaahu `alaihi wasallam)  in a hadeeth:

"Oh the children of Salamah[a tribe] who is your sayyed? They replied: Aljidu bin Qays but we rather consider him as a miser. The Prophet (sallalaahu `alaihi wasallam)  said: and what illness is worse than the illness of miserliness?! Your sayyed is 'Amro bin Al-Jamooh"(4).

 And it was narrated in another hadeeth "then the sayyed of that hood was bitten. So they sought a remedy for him by every mean and nothing worked. So some of them said: maybe you should go and ask those people who were here earlier; perhaps they have some sort of a cure. So a group of the tribe approached the companions and said to them: our sayyed was bitten and we have tried to cure him but nothing worked, so does anyone of you have a remedy? Then someone said: By Allah I make ruqyah..." until the end of the hadeeth. It has been narrated from the sunnah too the word" 'Urafaa' " which is the plural of 'Areef, this is the title that is given to the leaders of tribes at the moment. 

And praise be to Allah.