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32-685: It is the home to the Warfalla tribe, the only city in which only one tribe resides. A campus of Bani Walid University is located in Bani Walid. In the 2011 Libyan Civil War , after the anti-Gaddafi forces captured Tripoli in August and Sabha in September, Bani Walid, along with Sirte , was one of two final strongholds held by forces loyal to the ousted government of Muammar Gaddafi . There were clashes between anti-Gaddafi forces surrounding

64-512: A Bedouin tribal leader in recent centuries. Due to the cultural impact of Arab civilization, and especially through the spread of Islam, the word has gained currency as a religious term or general honorific in many other parts of the world as well, notably in Muslim cultures in Africa and Asia . In Sufism ( tasawwuf ), the word shaikh is used to represent a spiritual guide who initiates

96-642: A noble instead of royal connotation, since it was bestowed by a higher authority; in this case the Ottoman appointed Emir , who was nothing more than a mültezim or tax collector for the empire . Some very influential Maronite families, who had the title bestowed upon them, are (in chronological order): the El Hachem of Akoura (descendants of the Hashemite family, since 1523), the El-Khazen (since 1545),

128-547: A tribal chief or a Muslim scholar . This title generally refers to men, there are also a small number of female sheikhs in history, Syeikha or Sheikha this generally refers to women. In some countries, it is given as a surname to those of great knowledge in religious affairs, by a prestigious religious leader from a chain of Sufi scholars. The word is mentioned in the Qur'an in three places: verse 72 of Hud , 78 of Yusuf , and 23 of al-Qasas . A royal family member of

160-518: A paramilitary force entrusted with securing loyalty to the Qaddafis, by force if necessary. However, this support has been inconsistent, most notably in the mounting of the 1993 Libyan coup attempt by Warfalla members of Gaddafi’s government in 1993, as a result of their rivalry with the Magarha for top positions within the government, the failure of the coup attempt to overthrow Gaddafi resulted in

192-657: A particular order ( tariqa ) which leads to Muhammad , although many saints have this title added before their names out of respect from their followers. A couple of prominent examples are Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani , who initiated the Qadiriyya order, and Sheikh Ahmad al-Tijani , who initiated the Tijaniyyah Sufi order. In the Arabian Peninsula , the title is used for chiefs of tribes . This also includes royalty in most of Eastern Arabia , where

224-720: A result of the Arab migrations to the Maghreb , the Berbers of Warfalla had become completely Arabized by the sixteenth century. Arab tribes have then joined the tribal confederation in a sort of tribal brotherhood ( muwakhah ), until 52 sub-tribes emerged, establishing the tribal confederation of Warfalla. During the Italian invasion of Libya in 1911, the Warfalla tribe, under the leadership of 'Abd al-Nabi Bel Khayre , fought against

256-596: A temporary decline of Warfalla influence in the Libyan power structure, as many leading members were purged and a number of Warfalla leaders and civilians were either imprisoned or executed. In the early weeks of February 2011 Libyan Civil War the Warfalla tribe leaders gave their support to the Gaddafi regime, but while the tribe has often been identified with the Gaddafi regime, there were many Warfalla who actively opposed his rule, including Mahmoud Jibril (el-Warfally),

288-723: The Hashemite family) who were Ehdenian rulers of Jebbeh since 1471 CE until 1759 CE. The descendants of this sovereign family now live in Miziara , Mexico and Nigeria. Even the Abu Harmoush family heads, which ruled the Chouf region until the Battle of Ain Dara in 1711 CE, were "sui iuris" sheikhs. After the Ottoman rule and the implementation of the Iltizam system, the title gained

320-628: The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca who influenced many of the prominent Islamic scholars of today. In the cosmopolitan hub of the South Asian sub-continent, it is not just an ethnic title but also often an occupational title attributed to Muslim trading families. After the advent of Islam in South Asia , many Hindu-Buddhists clans from different castes converted to Islam and adopted the title. In

352-637: The Punjab region , Ismaili Pirs gave some converts, as well as Muslims who emigrated from Central Asia , especially after the barbaric Mongol conquests , the hereditary title of Ismaili Shaikhs . In Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia , sheikhs are respected by local Muslims. In Indonesia , the term is usually spelled "syech", and this is usually attributed to elderly ulama . Higher knowledgeable people of Islamic studies in Indonesia are usually referred to as " ustad " or " kyai ". From

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384-660: The Tripolitanian Republic . The Warfalla, together with the Qadhafa and the Magarha , were traditionally considered the pillars of Gaddafi’s rule, dominating the security services and the ranks of the military. Gaddafi drew many of his security personnel from the Warfalla tribe, and placed certain Warfalla leaders in his " revolutionary committees " (besides members of the Maqarha and his own Qadhafa tribe),

416-672: The UAE , Bahrain , Qatar , and Kuwait . The title is not used by members of Al Saud of Saudi Arabia , where the title "Prince" ( Arabic : أمير , romanized :  ʾAmīr ) is used instead. The title is also used to refer to religious leaders for both Sunni and Shia Muslims. For example, the Saudi Arabian family Al ash-Sheikh (literally House of the Sheikh ) is named after the religious leader and eponymous founder of Wahhabism , Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab . In Mount Lebanon,

448-596: The United Arab Emirates and some other Arab countries, also has this title, since the ruler of each emirate is also the sheikh of their tribe. The word in Arabic stems from a triliteral root connected with aging: ش-ي-خ , shīn-yā'-khā' . The title carries the meaning leader, elder , or noble , especially in the Arabian Peninsula within the Tribes of Arabia , where Shaikh became a traditional title of

480-413: The 10th-century Shaykhah Fakhr-un-Nisa Shuhdah and 18th-century scholar Al-Shaykha Fatima al-Fudayliyya . In 1957, Indonesian education activist Rahmah el Yunusiyah was awarded the title of syeikah by the faculty of Al-Azhar University , the first time the university had granted the title to a woman. A daughter, wife or mother of a sheikh is also called a shaykhah . Currently, the term shaykhah

512-644: The Finns. 200 Finnish engineers and other experts worked in Bani Walid. Some had their families in the area. The "dirty jobs" were done by around 2,000 cheap labourers from the Philippines. In Finland, the media found out about the construction of the weapons factory in 1994 and 2011. In the 1980s, Libya was the second-largest country of export for the Finnish construction industry, after the Soviet Union . In

544-801: The Hubaysh of Kisrawan and the Douaihy of Zgharta . Other families who are nowadays addressed or known as "sheikhs" were not traditionally rulers of provinces, but instead they were high-ranking officials at the service of the Emir at that time. In the Maghreb , during the Almohad dynasty, the caliph was also counseled by a body of sheikhs. They represented all the different tribes under their rules, including Arabs , ( Bedouins ), Andalusians and Berbers and were also responsible for mobilizing their kinsmen in

576-492: The Warfalla, which 'Abd al-Nabi saw as a threat to his influence. On August 20, 1920, Ramadan planned a surprise attack on the Warfalla with a force of 2,000 men. Due to the lack of water resources, Ramadan's attack failed and many of his men died of the summer heat, including Ramadan himself. This led to a civil war between the tribes and peasants of the Jabal al Gharbi District from 1920 to 1922 competing for political offices in

608-558: The area bounded by the cities of Bani Walid and Sirte , as well as the town of Sabha . The Warfalla tribe, along with the Qadhadhfa and Magarha , were the backbone of Muammar Gaddafi 's regime. The Warfalla tribe is considered a confederacy of 52 sub-tribes that consist of individual bayt s or clans. The Warfalla tribal confederation is of mixed origin. It includes Arabized Berber tribes descended from Hawwara , as well as Arab Bedouin tribes descended from Banu Hilal . As

640-424: The city and Gaddafi loyalists defending it throughout September and early October; the city was finally taken on 17 October. Finnish company Perusyhtymä (today YIT ) constructed in the 1980s a factory in the city used for the assembly of rifles and possibly other weapons. NATO reported that it had hit two "command hubs" in the city and one ammunition dump. It is possible that the latter had originally been built by

672-582: The city was launched. The city is served by the Bani Walid Airport , located 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) west of the city centre. There is a public university named Bani Walid university a college: Warfalla Warfalla ( Arabic : ورفلة ) is a tribal confederation of mixed Arab and Arabized Berber origin that resides in Tripolitania , western Libya , mainly in their stronghold of Bani Walid . Warfalla historically inhabited

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704-574: The early 1980s, Finns had about 20 major construction projects in Libya. In addition to the weapon factory, other Finnish constructions included streets in Tripoli and the entire oil city of Ras Lanuf . A large number of Libyan architects have been trained with Finnish help. Construction export became more difficult after the UN set up a trade embargo in 1992. As late as 2008, a shopping complex designed by Finns

736-702: The event of war. In the Muslim parts of the Horn of Africa , "shaikh" is often used as a noble title. In Somali society, it is reserved as an honorific for senior Muslim leaders and clerics ( wadaad ), and is often abbreviated to "Sh". Famous local sheikhs include Ishaaq bin Ahmed , an early Muslim scholar and Islamic preacher, Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti , an early Muslim leader in Somaliland ; Abadir Umar Ar-Rida ,

768-591: The invaders until the fall of Bani Walid, the Warfalla tribe's territory in December 1923. The Warfalla remained neutral under Bel Khayre's leadership during the war against the Italians. It was until the Italians reached the Warfalla that they fought the Italians. In 1915, the shaykhs of Warfalla wrote a letter to the British consul in Tripoli , stating their opinion towards the Italian colonial state : We are

800-627: The notables of the district of Warfalla, still keeping our independence which was given to us by our lord the Sultan. And in case any power attacks us, we are obliged to defend our dear homeland to the last soul. Thus we urge you to inform the Italian government that we are protecting our independence and if Italy decides to attack us, we will be forced to fight her. Rival of 'Abd al-Nabi from the Misurata tribe, Ramadan, began to collect taxes from around

832-805: The patron saint of Harar ; Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti , Sheikh of the riwaq in Cairo who recorded the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt ; Abd Al-Rahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'i , scholar who played a crucial role in the spread of the Qadiriyyah movement in Somalia and East Africa; Sheikh Sufi , 19th century scholar, poet, reformist and astrologist; Abdallah al-Qutbi , polemicist, theologian and philosopher best known for his five-part Al-Majmu'at al-mubaraka ("The Blessed Collection"); and Muhammad Al-Sumaalee, teacher in

864-638: The perspective of Iran, the word or title of sheikh possesses diverse meanings, among individuals who are aged and wise, it has been an honorific title used for elders and learned scholars, such as: Sheikh al-Rayees Abu Ali Sina , Sheikh Mufid , Sheikh Morteza Ansari . In the past, Islamic scholars who were the Muhammad's descendants, were called Sayyid / Seyyed instead of sheikh. Historically, female scholars in Islam were referred to as shaykhah (Arabic: شيخة ) (alt. shaykhat ). Notable shaykha include

896-471: The removal of Mu'ammar Qaddafi and his sons from the Libyan government. Sheikh Sheikh ( / ʃ eɪ k , ʃ iː k / SHAYK , SHEEK , Arabic : شَيْخ , romanized :  shaykh [ʃajx] , commonly [ʃeːχ] , plural : شُيُوخ , shuyūkh [ʃujuːx] ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning " elder ". It commonly designates

928-580: The royal families were traditionally considered tribal chiefs. For example, it is used by the UAE Al-Nahyan dynasty and Al Maktoum dynasty , who are considered the chiefs of the Bani Yas tribe, and by Kuwait 's Al Sabah dynasty and Bahrain 's Al Khalifa dynasty of the Bani Utbah tribal confederation. The term is used by almost every male and female (Sheikha) member of the royal houses of

960-677: The title had the same princely and royal connotation as in the Arabian peninsula until the Ottoman invasion in 1516, since it represented an indigenous autonomous " sui iuris " ruler or tribal chief. Examples of some ancient families that hold the title of "sui iuris" sheikh is the Al-Chemor family, ruling since 1211 CE in Koura and Zgharta until 1747 CE and the Boudib family (descendants of

992-405: The titular head of the opposition National Transitional Council (NTC). Akram al-Warfelli, a leading figure of the tribe, called for Gaddafi to stand down in late February 2011. “We tell the brother, he’s no longer a brother, we tell him to leave the country,” he told Al-Jazeera. On the 28-29 of May, over 100 tribal leaders, most of them Warfalla, met to call for an end to the fighting in Libya and

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1024-476: Was being built. On 23 January 2012, around 100–150 local fighters attacked the main NTC army base in Bani Walid, killing eight NTC fighters and wounding at least 20 others. On 25 January 2012, Libya's defense Minister recognised the newly formed local tribal council, which overthrew the local NTC council, as the new authority of Bani Walid. In October 2012, a successful and controversial armed campaign to recapture

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