Sharif
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Sharīf (Arabic: شريف) is a traditional Arab tribal title given to those who serve as the protector of the tribe and all tribal assets, such as property, wells, and land.
It is used, in the Islamic tradition (both Sunni and Shia), to refer to those claiming descent from Muhammad through Hasan bin Ali, son of his daughter Fatima Zahra and son-in-law ˤAlī. (Descendants of another son, Husayn bin Ali, are often referred to as Sayyid.) From 1201 till the Hejaz was conquered by Ibn Saud in 1925, this family held the office of the Sharīf of Makkah, 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 the Quraysh that the Prophet was from.
The word has no etymological connection with the English term sheriff, which comes from the Old English word scīrgerefa, meaning "shire-reeve," the local reeve (enforcement agent) of the king in the shire (county).
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