Zahed
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zahed is an Arabic word that means "ascetic" (adjective and noun).
The Name "Zahed" was popular as a title bestowed on disciples of Mystic Sufi orders upon their initiation. After initiation the title took the place of the new Spiritual Masters' given names. A famous bearer of the title Zahed was Sheikh Zahed Gilani of Lahijan in Gilan province of northern Iran.
Zahed and Zahid are transliterations for the same word: While Zahed is a typical Persian transliteration, being phonetically more akin, Zahid corresponds to the original Arabic pronounciatian. The Persian Zahed is pronounced with an "a" as in "art" and an "e" as in "effort". The Arabic Zahid is pronounced with an "a" as in "Arabic" and an "i" as in "is".
