This title originally means “elder” and is used in various ways, but refers here to the Sheikh (شيخ) as spiritual teacher, the equivalent of Guru. What is difficult for Western cultures to understand is that the teacher needs to be “without a name, without a face,” bare of anything that might interfere with the transmission. The choice of white on black refers to the Sufi tradition whereby a Sheikh wears white when representing his order; a Sheikha wears black.
