Sharif

Sharīf / Shareef Asharif or Alsharif (Arabic: شريف‎‎ šarīf) or Chérif (Darija: Chorfa) is a traditional Arab title. The origin of the word is an adjective meaning "noble", "highborn". The feminine singular is sharifa(h) (Arabic: شريفة‎‎ šarīfah). The masculine plural is Ashraf (Arabic: اشراف‎‎ ʾašrāf).

Sunnis in the Arab world reserve the term sharif for descendants of Hasan ibn Ali, while sayyid is used for descendants of Husayn ibn Ali, Hasan's younger brother. Both Hasan and Husayn are grandchildren of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, through the marriage of his cousin Ali and his daughter Fatima. However ever since the post-Hashemite era began in 1925 after the fall of the Sharif of Mecca, the term sayyid has been used to denote descendants from both Hasan and Husayn. Shiites use the terms sayyid and habib to denote descendants from both Hasan and Husayn; see also ashraf. Sayyids having ancestry from both Imams Hasan and Husayn use the terms Shareefayn , Sayyidayn, Sayyid AlShareef or Sheikh Assayyid before their names and call themselves Najeeb AlTarfayn.

From 1201 until 1925, when the Hejaz was conquered by Ibn Saud, this family (the descendants of Hasan ibn Ali) held the office of the Sharīf of Mecca, often also carrying the title and office of King of Hejaz. Descendants now rule the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the name being taken from the Banu Hashim, the sub-tribe of Banu Quraish, to which Prophet Muhammad belonged.

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