# Sheikhs of Bengal

Sheikh (Bengali: শেখ, romanized: Shekh) is an aristocratic Bengali Muslim surname found in the Bengal region of the subcontinent.

## Etymology and history

The surname "Sheikh" is prevalent in the Bengali Muslim community. It is from the Arabic word "Sheikh" (Arabic: شيخ shaykh), meaning elder, this word is also applied to those who are in a position of respect such as a leader, especially a religious leader or preacher. After the advent of Islam into the subcontinent, then eventually into Bengal, many Sufi Islamic missionaries known as Dervishes to the native people came from places in Western Asia such as Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan had come to spread Islam in Bengal. Notable amongst these Sufi Muslim preachers were Shah Jalal, Bayezid Bostami, Sultan Balkhi, and many other preachers had come to Bengal, all at different times. Wealthy Arab businessmen who were known as Sheikhs in the Middle East as a respect for their wealth and tribal lineage had also come to conduct business at Bengal at port cities such as Chittagong, these Arabs had also done business in South India and Indonesia, they had also played a role in promoting Islam in Bengal. All these respectable migrants from the Middle East were known as Sheikhs, and this status was inherited by their descendants. They are part of a larger social class in Bengal, known as the Khandan or Sharif, the upper class of Bengali Muslim society. Amongst, this class are families with surnames with a similar origin, being taken from the founder of the family's title, such as Khandaker, Syed, Kazi, and Mirza.

## Families

* Sheikhs of Tungipara, currently the most powerful political family in Bangladesh
** Khan Sahib Sheikh Mosharraf Hossain, member of the East Pakistan Provincial Assembly
** Sheikh Kabir Hossain, businessman and president of Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh
** Sheikh Shahidul Islam, politician
** Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founder of Bangladesh
** Sheikh Abu Naser, politician
** Sheikh Salahuddin Jewel, politician
** Sheikh Helal Uddin, politician
** Sheikh Sarhan Naser Tonmoy, politician
** Sheikh Lutfar Rahman, serestadar of Gopalganj civil court
** Sheikh Sayera Khatun, mother of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
** Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, First Lady of Bangladesh
** Sheikh Kamal, founder of Abahani Limited
** Sheikh Jamal, second lieutenant in the East Bengal Regiment
** Sheikh Rehana, politician
** Sheikh Hasina, former prime minister of Bangladesh
** Sheikh Russel, youngest son of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
** Qudratullah Sheikh, Zamindar in Faridpur Mahakumar who defeated the British in court, ancestor of Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani
** Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani, Bangladeshi politician and founder of Mujib Bahini
** Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Mayor of Dhaka
** Sheikh Fazlul Karim, Minister of health and family welfare
** Sheikh Fazle Fahim, President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI)
** Sheikh Shawkat Hossain, former chairman of NPP
* Sheikh Family of Birgaon, Brahmanbaria
** Sheikh Ghulam Azam, Leader of Jamaat Islami Bangladesh
** Sheikh Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, Bangladeshi Army officer
* Sheikhs of Pabna Town
** Hakimuddin Sheikh, prominent Zamindar in Pabna Town
** Sheikh Faisal Abdur Rouf Mohammad Ziauddin Haider, Bangladeshi writer, poet, playwright, translator and professor
** Sheikh Faisal Abdur Rashid Mohammad Ziauddin Haider, Bangladeshi author and novelist
* Sheikh family of Khulna
** Sheikh Mohammad Shafiuddin Ahmed, Chief of Bangladesh Army Staff
** Runu Reza, female politician

## Individuals

* Sheikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain, Judge in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh
* Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, politician, Minister of Religious Affairs
* Mohammad Naim Sheikh, cricketer
* Sheikh Abdullah Al-Muti, educator and scientist
* Sheikh Abdul Hamid Madarshahi, Islamic scholar
* Sheikh Abdul Awal, Judge in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh
* Sheikh Enayetullah, Zamindar of Jalalpur Pargana (Barisal), Founder of Ahsan Manzil Zamindar Bari
* Ashu Mohan Sheikh, Zamindar and Social Worker
* Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah, Bengali Linguist and writer
* Sheikh Reyazuddin Ahmed, Bengali Litterateur and Author
* Sheikh Md. Rezaul Karim, Awami League Minister of housing and fisheries
* Sheikh Abul Kalam Azad, Bangladesh Navy officer and former high commissioner to Maldives
* Shaikh Yusuf Harun, Bangladeshi government official, executive chairman of Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority