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{{Short description|Semitic word for 'king'}}
{{other uses}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{SpecialChars|fix=Help:Special characters# Assyrian and Phoenician}}
[[File:'מלך אמון' כת"י לייפציג B.H. 3 עמוד 144א.jpg|thumb|Page from a [[Rosh Hashanah]] prayerbook with Hebrew {{Script/Hebrew|מלך}} (''melekh'') in large red text.]]
'''Malik''' ({{langx|phn|[[wikt:𐤌𐤋𐤊#Phoenician|𐤌𐤋𐤊]]}}; {{langx|he|[[wikt:מלך#Hebrew|מֶלֶךְ]]}}; {{langx|ar|[[wikt:ملك#Arabic|ملك]]}}; variously Romanized ''Mallik'', ''Melik'', ''Malka'', ''Malek'', ''Maleek'', ''Malick'', ''Mallick'', ''Melekh'') is the [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] term translating to "[[king (title)|king]]", recorded in [[East Semitic]] and [[Arabic]], and as '''M-L-K''' in [[Northwest Semitic]] during the [[Late Bronze Age]] (e.g. [[Aramaic]], [[Canaanite language|Canaanite]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]).

Although the early forms of the name were to be found among the pre-Arab and pre-Islamic Semitic speakers of [[the Levant]], [[Canaan]], and [[Mesopotamia]], it has since been adopted in various other, mainly but not exclusively [[Islamization|Islamized]] or [[Arabization|Arabized]] non-Semitic [[Languages of Asia|Asian languages]] for their ruling princes and to render kings elsewhere.
It is also sometimes used in derived meanings.

The female version of Malik is '''Malikah''' ({{Langx|he|[[wikt:מלכה#Hebrew|מַלְכָּה]]}}; {{langx|ar|[[wikt:ملكة#Arabic|ملكة]]}}; or its various spellings such as ''[[wikt:ملکه#Persian|Malekeh]]'' or ''Melike''), meaning "queen".

The name Malik was originally found among various pre-Arab and non-Muslim Semitic speakers such as the indigenous ethnic [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] of [[Iraq]], [[Amorites]], [[Jews]], [[Arameans]], [[Mandeans]], other [[Syriac language|Syriac]] speaking ethnic groups, and pre-Islamic [[Arabs]]. It has since been spread among various predominantly Muslim and non-Semitic peoples in [[Central Asia]], the [[Middle East]], and [[South Asia]].

==Etymology==
{{further|Moloch}}
The earliest form of the name ''Maloka'' was used to denote a prince or chieftain in the [[East Semitic languages|East Semitic]] [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] language of the [[Mesopotamian]] states of [[Akkadian Empire|Akkad]], [[Assyria]], [[Babylonia]] and [[Chaldea]].<ref>F.Leo Oppenheim – Ancient Mesopotamia</ref>{{full citation needed|date=September 2021}} The Northwest Semitic ''[[:wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/malk-|mlk]]'' was the title of the rulers of the primarily [[Amorite]], [[Suteans|Sutean]], [[Canaan]]ite, [[Phoenicia]]n and [[Arameans|Aramean]] city-states of the [[Levant]] and [[Canaan]] from the [[Late Bronze Age]]. Eventual derivatives include the Aramaic, Neo-Assyrian, Mandaic and Arabic forms: ''Malik'', ''Malek'', ''Mallick'', ''Malkha'', ''Malka'', ''Malkai'' and the [[Hebrew]] form ''Melek''.

''[[Moloch]]'' has traditionally been interpreted as the epithet of a god, known as "the king" like [[Baal]] was an epithet "the master" and [[Adon]] an epithet "the lord", but in the case of Moloch purposely mispronounced as ''Moleḵ'' instead of ''Meleḵ'' using the vowels of Hebrew ''bosheth'' "shame".<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia | title = Molech | encyclopedia = Encyclopædia Britannica Encyclopedia | year = 2008 | url = http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9053271/Moloch | access-date = 2008-03-22 }}</ref>

==Political==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2013}}
Primarily a ''malik'' is the ruling monarch of a [[Monarchy|kingdom]], called ''mamlaka''; that term is however also used in a broader sense, like realm, for rulers with another, generally lower titles, as in [[Sahib|Sahib al-Mamlaka]]. Malik is also used for tribal leaders, e.g. among the [[Pashtuns]].

Some [[Arab]] kingdoms are currently ruled by a Malik:
*[[Bahrain]], formerly under a ''[[Hakim (title)|hakim]]'', or "ruler", until 16 August 1971, then under an ''[[emir]]'', or "prince", and since 14 February 2002 under a ''malik''.
*[[Jordan]], formerly the [[Emirate]] of [[Emirate of Transjordan|Transjordan]];
*[[Morocco]], formerly a [[Sultanate]];
*[[Saudi Arabia]]. On 10 June 1916, the [[Grand Sharif]] of [[Mecca]] assumed the title of King of the [[Hejaz]]; from 29 October 1916 "King of the Arabs and [[Commander of the Faithful]]"; from 6 November 1916 recognized by the allied powers only as King of the [[Hejaz]], [[Commander of the Faithful]], [[Grand Sharif]] and [[emir]] of Mecca; also assumed the title of [[Caliph]] on 11 March 1924; from 3 October 1924: King of the Hejaz and Grand Sharif of Mecca. In 1925 [[Nejd]] conquered Hijaz, so the Sultan of Nejd added the title "King of Hijaz". On 22 September 1932 Nejd and Hejaz were renamed as Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, full style: ''Malik al-Mamlaka al-'Arabiyya as-Sa'udiyya'' ("King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia"); from 1986 prefixed to the name: ''[[Khadim al-Haramayn ash-Sharifayn]]'' ("Servant (i.e. [[Protector (title)|Protector]]) of the Two Exalted Holy Places [Mecca and Medina]").

Other historic realms under a Malik include:
*[[Egypt]] – the former [[Khedivate of Egypt|khedivate]] and subsequently [[Sultanate of Egypt|independent sultanate]] was ruled by ''Malik Misr'' ("[[King of Egypt]]") from 1922 to 1951; and ''Malik Misr wa's Sudan'' ("[[King of Egypt and the Sudan]]") from 16 October 1951 until the proclamation of the republic on 18 June 1953
*[[Iraq]] – between 23 August 1921 and 2 May 1958, Iraq was ruled by a Hashemite ''[[List of Kings of Iraq|Malik al-'Iraq]]'' ("King of Iraq"). Among the indigenous [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] and [[Kurdish Jews]], the term has been (and still is) used since pre-Arab and pre-Islamic times for the title of tribal chief, for example [[Malik Khoshaba]] of the Bit-[[Tyareh]] tribe.
*[[Libya]] – [[Idris I of Libya|Idris I]] (1890–1983) (Sayyid Muhammad Idris [[as-Sanusi]], heir of a Muslim sect's dynasty) reigned as ''Malik al-Mamlaka al-Libiyya al-Muttahida'' ("King of the United Libyan Kingdom") from 24 December 1951 through 25 April 1963 and ''Malik al-Mamlaka al-Libiyya'' ("King of the Libyan Kingdom") until 1 September 1969.
*[[Maldives]] – between 1965 and 1968, [[Muhammad Fareed Didi]] ruled the Maldives as ''Jala'ala ul-Malik'' ("King" and the style of "His Majesty"); previous rulers were styled Sultan of Land and Sea and Lord of the twelve-thousand islands, holding both the Arabic title of Sultan and the more ancient [[Dhivehi language|Divehi]] title of Maha Radun or Ras Kilege.
*[[Oman]] – the [[Nabhani dynasty]] ruled Oman between 1154 and 1470; later it was an [[imamate]] / Sultanate.
*[[Tunisia]] was formerly ruled by maliks (1 year).
*[[Yemen]] – between 1918 and 27 September 1962, and in dissidence to March 1970, the imamate of Yemen was ruled by ''[[Imams of Yemen|Imam al-Muslimin, Amir al-Mu'minin, Malik al-Mamlaka al-Mutawakkiliyya al-Yamaniyya]]'' ("Imam of the Muslims, [[Commander of the Faithful]], King of the Mutawakkilite Yemeni Kingdom").
*[[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[India]] – The [[Muslim]] rulers bestowed the title of ''Malik'' on loyal tribal leaders and chieftains in [[South Asia]]. The [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] and colonial [[India]], the princely state of [[Zainabad, Vanod]] was ruled by a '''Malek Shri''' ([[Sri|Shri]] is an emphatical [[honorific]]).{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

'''Malik''' has also been used in languages which adopted Arabic [[loanword]]s (mainly, not exclusively, in Muslim cultures), for various [[prince]]ly or lower ranks and functions.
* In [[Armenia]], the title of Melik was bestowed upon princes who ruled various [[Principality|principalities]], often referred to as Melikdoms.
* In [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], among the numerous Grandees, often related to Armenia:
** In the fourth class, (''[[tavadi|Sul-didibuli-tavadi]]'') of the [[Kingdom of Kartli (1484–1762)|Kingdom of Kartli]], commanders of banners (''[[sadrosho]]''), sixth and last in that class, the Malik of [[Somkhiti]] (Somkhiti is the name of Armenia in Georgian).
** In the sixth class, Grandees of the second class (''[[mtavari]]'') of the Kingdom of Kartli, ranking first of the second subclass, Grandees under the Prince of [[Baratashvili|Sabaratiano]]: the [[Loris-Melikov|Malik of Lori]] ([[Lori Province|Lori]] – a region in Armenia), head of the house of [[Melikishvili]].

The word Malik is sometimes used in Arabic to render roughly equivalent titles of foreign rulers, for instance the chronicler [[Baha al-Din Ibn Shaddad]] refers to King [[Richard I of England]] as ''Malik al-Inkitar''.

==Religious==
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2013}}
*The sacrament of [[Holy Leaven]] in the [[Assyrian Church of the East]]<ref>{{Cite book | chapter = Malka or Malca | last = Bowker | first = John | title = The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | location = Oxford | publisher = Oxford University Press | via = Oxford Reference | date = 2003 | access-date = 30 July 2016 | chapter-url = http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780192800947.001.0001/acref-9780192800947-e-4537 | isbn = 9780191727221 }}</ref>
*It is also one of the [[Names of God in Islam]], and is then ''al-Malik'' (الملك) or ''The King, Lord of the Worlds'' in the absolute sense (denoted by the definite article), meaning the [[King of Kings in Islam|King of Kings]], above all earthly rulers.
**Hence, Abdelmelik ("servant of [Allah] the King") is an Arabic male name.
*In Biblical Hebrew, [[Moloch]] is either the name of a god or a particular kind of sacrifice associated historically with Phoenician and related cultures in North Africa and the Levant.
*[[Melqart]] ("king of the city") was a Phoenician and Punic god.
*The [[Melkite]]s (from Syriac ''malkāyâ'', ܡܠܟܝܐ, "imperial") are the members of several Christian churches of the Middle East, originally those who sided with the Byzantine emperor.

==Compound and derived titles==
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2013}}
*''Malika'' is the female derivation, a term of Arabic origin used in Persia as the title for a [[Queen consort]]. Frequently also used as part of a lady's name, e.g. ''Malika-i-Jahan'' 'Queen of the World'.
*''[[Sahib]] us-Sumuw al-Malik'' (female Sahibat us-Sumuw al-Malik) is an Arabic title for His/Her [[Royal Highness]], notably for Princes in the dynasty of the Malik of Egypt.

The following components are frequently part of titles, notably in Persian (also used elsewhere, e.g. in India's Moghol tradition):
*'''- ul-Mulk''' (or '''ul-Molk'''): – of the kingdom; e.g. Malik Usman Khan, who served the [[Sultan]] of [[Gujarat]] as Governor of [[Lahore]], received the title of ''Zubdat ul-Mulk'' 'best of the kingdom' as a hereditary distinction, which was retained as part of the style of his heirs, the ruling [[Diwan (title)|Diwan]]s (only since 1910 promoted to [[Nawab]]) of [[Palanpur]].
*'''- ul-Mamaluk''' (plural of ''ul-mulk''): – of the kingdoms.

In the great Indian Muslim [[salute state]] of [[Hyderabad State|Hyderabad]], a first rank- vassal of the Mughal [[padshah]] (emperor) imitating his lofty Persian court protocol, the word '''Molk''' became on itself one of the titles used for ennobled Muslim retainers of the ruling [[Nizam of Hyderabad|Nizam]]'s court, in fact the third in rank, only below [[Jah]] (the highest) and [[Umara]], but above [[Al-Dawla|Daula]], [[Khan (title)|Jang]], [[Nawab]], [[Khan (title)|Khan Bahadur]] and [[Khan (title)|Khan]]; for the Nizam's Hindu retainers different titles were used, the equivalent of Molk being Vant.

==Usage in South Asia==
=== Pashtun usage ===
{{further|Kakazai}}
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2025}}
The Arabic term came to be adopted as a term for "[[tribal chieftain]]" in the [[tribe|tribal]] areas of northwestern [[Pakistan]]. In tribal Pashtun society in Pakistan, the Maliks serve as ''de facto'' arbiters in local conflicts, interlocutors in state policy-making, tax-collectors, heads of village and town councils and delegates to provincial and national ''jirgas'' and Parliament.
Such as Malik Zain

===Punjabi usage===
{{further|Malik (Punjab)}}
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2025}}
In the [[Punjab region|Punjab]], "Malik", literally meaning "King" or "[[Lord]]", is a title used by some well-reputed Punjabi aristocrat lineages, more formally known as [[Zamindar]]s. It is a prominent title among [[Awan (tribe)|Awans]], who are historically a group of warrior clans who later settled as wealthy landlords. Malik Awans in Punjabi Ethnology are considered to be Honourable Warriors.

The Muslim Malik community is settled all over Pakistan, and the Sikh Malik are settled in India. Due to the prestige of the Malik title, many Punjabi sub-castes have adopted title to gain acceptance in the Punjabi [[biradri]] system.

===Jat usage===
{{further|Malik (Jat)}}
The [[Jats]] of the Gathwala clan use Malik ("Lord") as a title.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OEmAAAAAMAAJ&q=Later+on+they+were+called+as+Jakhar+Jats |title=Indian Journal of Physical Anthropology and Human Genetics |date=2005 |publisher=Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society, U.P. |page=110 |language=en |quote=[Jats] are the largest group in northwest India, having various clans and more than 500 gotras. The main gotras are Maliks (Ghatwalla)...}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Peasant and the Raj: Studies in Agrarian Society and Peasant Rebellion in Colonial India |first=Eric |last=Stokes |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-52129-770-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9DU5AAAAIAAJ |pages=17, 293 }}</ref> The Gathwalas were organized under an influential Jat [[Khap]], and were prominent [[zamindar]]s during the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal era]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Cambridge Economic History of India |volume=2 |editor1-first=Tapan |editor1-last=Raychaudhuri |editor2-first=Irfan |editor2-last=Habib |editor3-first=Dharma |editor3-last=Kumar |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-52122-802-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ew8AAAAIAAJ |pages=37, 70}}</ref> The Gathwala Khap continues to exist in [[Western Uttar Pradesh]].

===Bihari usage===
{{further|Malik (Bihar)}}
{{expand section|date=September 2025}}
==General usage==
{{main|Malik (name)}}
Malik or Malek is a common element in first and family names, usually without any aristocratic meaning.

==See also==
{{Portal|Islam}}

* {{annotated link|Maalik}}
*[[Malak (disambiguation)]], a Semitic word meaning "angel"
*[[Maluku islands]], an archipelago in Indonesia whose name is thought to have been derived from the Arab traders' term for the region, Jazirat al-Muluk ('the island of many kings')
*[[Melech (name)]], a given name of Hebrew origin that means 'king'.
*[[Minicoy]], an island in India that was the ancient capital of [[Lakshadweepa]], whose local name (Maliku) is thought to have been derived from the Arab traders' term for it, Jazirat al-Maliku ('the island of the king').<ref>Lutfy, Mohamed Ibrahim. Thaareekhuge therein Lakshadheebu</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|malik}}
*[https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=malik Malik Family History] at 'ancestry.com'

[[Category:Feudalism]]
[[Category:Heads of state]]
[[Category:Military ranks]]
[[Category:Royal titles]]
[[Category:Noble titles]]
[[Category:Titles in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Titles in Bangladesh]]
[[Category:Titles of national or ethnic leadership]]
[[Category:Titles in India]]
[[Category:Names of God in Islam]]
[[Category:Semitic words and phrases]]
[[Category:Moloch]]
[[Category:Melqart]]

Malik - Revision history

Svetlanabpd at 05:40, 12 November 2025