The Sheikhs of the Sanctuary: Their Numbers and Geographical, Social, and Scientific Formation in the Abbasid Era (132-656 AH)

Abstract

This research examines the scholars who were given the title "Sheikh al-Haram," a group of scholars known for their religious knowledge and social standing. Some of them were scholars of hadith, while others were well-versed in more than one branch of Islamic law. These scholars held prominent academic and social standing in Mecca. Some were originally from Mecca, while others were from Iraq, the Islamic East, and other regions. These scholars resided in Mecca, sought knowledge, and then disseminated it among scholars. Some were known for their Quranic recitations, others for their Prophetic hadiths, while others were known for their jurisprudence, Sufism, and theology. Therefore, I decided to group these scholars and indicate their numbers, their tribal, social, and geographical affiliations—that is, which country in the Islamic world they came from—and their academic background—that is, the religious knowledge for which they were known. This also clarifies the social standing of these scholars, which explains the reason for their being given this title.