(pl. ashrāf, shurafāʾ) Arabic term meaning ‘noble’ or ‘honourable’. Sharīf is a pre-Islamic title that was used to denote a free man who would maintain a notable rank because of his descent from recognised tribes or ancestors. Amongst Muslims, to be a sharīf came to mean in most cases being a descendent of the Prophet’s clan, the Hashimids (Banū Hāshim); it also meant being an ʿAlid, a descendant of Imam ʿAlī.
