Sahib

'Sahib (Eng. /'sɑ:.ɪb/) is a Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali term of respect, meaning Sir, master or lord. It comes from the Arabic sahib صاحب, originally "friend, companion" (from sahiba صحب "he accompanied"). Its pimp form is sahib.

Princely styles

In British India in feudal and colonial times, Sahib was also a formal style, used on its own or as an additional title, for native aristocrats, including rulers of some princely states and/or certain members of their dynasties.

Combined ruler styles

(This list may well be incomplete; gun salutes mentioned are as in 1947, some may be the result of one or more promotions)

• Maharaja Jam Sahib was unique to the rather major princely state (13-gun salute) of Nawanagar
• Maharaja Raj Sahib of the rather minor Gujurati salute states of Dhrangadhra-Halvad (13-gun salute) and Maharana Raj Sahib of Wankaner (11-gun salute)
• Maharaja Rana Sahib of the rather major princely state (13-gun salute) Porbandar

• Thakur sahib was significantly rarer and higher than Thakur (often below the status of princely state, never a gun salute), being used for several minor salute states (9 guns, the lowest class in India, until independence excluded from the style His Highness): Dhrol, Limbdi, Palitana and Rajkot

Subsidiary ruler styles

In various dynasties, members of certain genealogical rank were awarded various combinations of additional styles, in se not their rank, which may include sahib. This could even happen in a Muslim dynasty, e.g. sons of the ruling Nawab of Junagadh used Nawabzada before their personal name, then Khanji and the father's name, finally Sahib.

Again this could be combined titles:

• Sahib-i-Jah "Lord, or Possessor of Dignity" was a title of the ruling Nawab of Baoni.

Non-Indian ruler title

The ruling Bey of Tunis, an Arabo-Barbaresque under Ottoman suzerainty in North Africa, also known as 'regency' since the French protectorate, used the style Basha Bay Tunis, Sahib al-Mamlaka at-Tunisiyya ("Pasha Bey of Tunis, Lord of the Tunisian Realm"; in French: Bey de Tunis, Seigneur de la Régence de Tunis), suggesting their realm was at par with that of a Malik (Arabic for King), until the last incumbent changed it in 1956 (till 25 July 1957) in "King (Padshah) of the Tunisians and Commander of the Faithful."

Derived non-ruling princes titles

Sahibzada

This derivation using the Persian suffix -zada(h), literally 'son (or further male descendant; compare Shahzada) of a Sahib', was also (part of) the formal style for some princes of the blood of Muslim dynasties, e.g.:

• the sons of a ruling nawab of Arcot (the head of the family; political pensioners, the only princely title still recognized by the Indian Republic) are styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Bahadur, not Nawabzada (literally 'son of the Nawab').
• in Bahawalpur, in Pakistan, the younger sons of the ruling Nawab/Amir are styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Abassi; but the Heir Apparent: Nawabzada (personal name) Khan Abassi, Wali Ahad Bahadur
• in Baoni, the younger sons and other male descendants of the ruling Nawab, in the male line, were styled Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Bahadur, while the Heir Apparent was: Nawabzada (personal name) Khan, Wali Ahad Bahadur; either could be personally promoted to Nawab
• in Bhopal, the grandsons of the ruling Nawab were styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan, while the Heir Apparent was the Wali Ahad Bahadur, the younger sons: Nawab (personal name) Khan Bahadur
• in Jaoroa, more distant male relatives of the ruling Nawab then the sons (who were Nawabzada) were styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan
• in Khudadad, Tippu Sultan's Muslim empire, the grandsons and other male descendants of the sovereign Padshah bahadur were styled: Sahibzada (personal name), until in 1860 the colonial Indian Government extended to them the existing style for sons of the ruling Nawab: Shahzada (personal name) Sahib
• in Malerkotla, where the Heir Apparent was Nawabzada (personal name) Khan Bahadur, the younger sons of the ruling Nawab were styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Bahadur
• in Savanur, where sons of the ruling Nawab were Nawabzada, the other male descendants in the male line: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Sahib, and the more remote male descendants of the ruler: Sardar (personal name) Khan Sahib.

This could be further combined, e.g.:

• in Hyderabad, the great, mainly Muslim state of the Nizam, every son of the ruler was fully styled Walashan Nawab (personal title), Sahibzada Mir (personal name) Khan Bahadur; in the case of the Heir Apparent, all this was followed by The Prince of Berar, with the style of His Highness, normally reserved for ruling princes with at least an 11 (later 9) guns-salute;
• in Loharu, where the Heir Apparent was Nawabzada Mirza (personal name) Khan, both the younger sons, and male descendants, of a ruling Nawab, in the male line, were styled: Sahibzada Mirza (personal name) Khan.
• in Murshidabad (present title-seat of the royal house of Bengal), the other sons and male descendants of the reigning Nawab, in the male line: Sahibzada Sayyid (personal name) Mirza;
• in Sachin, the grandsons and other male descendants of the ruling Nawab, in the male line were styled: Sahibzada Sidi (personal name) Khan Bahadur, while the Heir Apparent was Nawabzada Sidi (personal name) Khan Bahadur, Wali Ahad Sahib, and the other sons: Nawabzada Sidi (personal name) Khan Bahadur.

Wali-ahad Sahib

• In Palanpur, the younger sons of the ruling Nawab, and other male descendants in the male line, were styled Sahibzada (personal name) Khan; but the Heir Apparent: Nawabzada (personal name) Khan, Wali-ahad Sahib.

Colonial and modern use

It was also used as respectful address for Europeans (first mention in 1673), as honoured guests. Under the British raj it became the customary form of address for a white 'master' (memsahib being the female form) used by the ever polite, often (forcibly) servile natives.

Since in modern times feudalism and castes have been officially abolished, the term has largely fallen into disuse in India. In Pakistan, however, it enjoys continued use as an appellation of respect. The same word is also appended to the names of Sikh gurus.

Musahib

This title (pl. musāhibān), etymologically the active part. of 'to associate, or consort (with), means originally companion, associate, friend (the abstract term is musāhabat); not unlike the Hellenistic Greek Philos and the Latin Comes in the Roman empire, it became a title for a favourite (of a Sahib, especially a prince), and such 'personally close' positions as aide-de-camp, in some princely states even a Minister.

Other compound titles

• Khan sahib

Sources and references

• RoyalArk - see each present country
• Platts dictionary- here Musahib