Family and clan
Sheekhaal (Sheikhal, Fiqi Cumar)
The Sheekhaal (Sheikhal) are a Somali lineage group with a religious status, tracing descent to Sheikh Fiqi Cumar. ACCORD says most are now linked with the Hiraab of the Hawiye. The EUAA names their main lines as Loobage, Jaziira and Aw Qudub. It says Aw Qudub mainly live in Ethiopia's Somali Region, and Jaziira and Loobage in and around Mogadishu.
Name and family tree
The Sheekhaal are a Somali lineage group with an inherited religious status. The name is also written Sheikhal and Sheekhaash. They take the name Fiqi Cumar from the ancestor they claim (Somali Wikipedia, Sheekhaal, backup).
| Source | Line it gives |
|---|---|
| Abbink 2009 | Sheikhaal under the Hawiye, with Lobogay, Aw Qudhub, Gandershe, Aw Hassan, Martile and Reer Fiqi Omar (Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009, p. 27) |
| ACCORD 2009 | Lineages that "all trace descent in legendary terms from the same ancestor, Sheikh Faqi Omar", quoting Virginia Luling (ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 19) |
| ACLED 2025 | Hawiye > Sheikhal > Awqudub (ACLED clan actor list, September 2025) |
| EUAA 2025 | "Sheikhal (associated to Hawiye)" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1) |
| Wikipedia (backup) | Descent from Sheikh Abadir Umar ar-Rida (Fiqi Umar), traced to the caliph Abu Bakr (Wikipedia, Sheekhaal, backup) |
See the Hawiye tree.
Main branches
The EUAA says the Sheekhaal "are divided in the main lineages Loboge, Jazeera and Aw Qutub" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.4.4).
| Source | Lines it names |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Reer Aw Qudub (Qudub Fiqi Cumar), Reer Axmed Loobage, Reer Aw Xasan, Sheekhaal Jaziira (Maxamed Fiqi Cumar) and Sheekhaal Gendershe (Cismaan Fiqi Cumar) (Wikipedia, Sheekhaal, backup) |
| Somali Wikipedia | Eighteen sons of Fiqi Cumar, among them Loobage, Aw Qudub, Gandarshe, Jaziira, Cali Cafii, Aw Xasan, Guudle and Duduble (Somali Wikipedia, Sheekhaal, backup) |
| Abbink 2009 | Lobogay, Aw Qudhub, Gandershe, Aw Hassan, Martile and Reer Fiqi Omar (Reer Sheikh, Aw Gutub) (p. 27) |
Where they live
No census counts Somalis by clan. ACCORD notes that Somalis often claim more members than their groups have, "in order to demonstrate strength" (ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 11).
| Place | What the sources record |
|---|---|
| Ethiopia's Somali Region | The EUAA says the Aw Qudub "mainly reside in the Somali Region of Ethiopia" (EUAA Country Focus 2025) |
| Mogadishu | It says the Jaziira and Loobage live "mainly in and around Mogadishu" (same source). The EASO lists the Sheekhaal among Hawiye clans with a sizeable presence in the city (EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021) |
| Lower Shabelle, Bay and Hiiraan | The EASO names the Sheekhaal among clans in each region (EASO 2021) |
| Mudug | The EUAA records the Loobage in Towfiiq and Afbarwaaqo districts (EUAA Country Focus 2025) |
| Kenya | Wikipedia adds north-eastern Kenya (Wikipedia, Sheekhaal, backup) |
See Mogadishu, Hiiraan and Mudug.
History on record
- Origins. Wikipedia names their ancestor as Sheikh Abadir Umar ar-Rida, whom it calls the patron saint of Harar (Wikipedia, Sheekhaal, backup). See Harar, capital of Adal.
- 1850s. It says Richard Burton saw them as the only Somalis whose line did not come from the Dir or Darod (same source).
- 1982 to 1991. It says General Mohamed Ibrahim Liiqliiqato, a Sheekhaal, was speaker of parliament (same source).
- After 1991. ACCORD says the Sheekhaal near Mogadishu built up private education, largely through the Al-Islah movement and the FPENS network. It says they also sought ties with the Hawiye and General Aideed's USC (ACCORD 2009, p. 19).
Elders and customary law
Senior Somali clan leaders carry titles such as suldaan, ugaas or issim. Their role is "mainly judicial and representative" (UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014).
The EUAA says the Sheekhaal and Asharaaf "were respected by other clans as 'religious people' or even 'teachers of religion'". It says both lost clan protection in the civil war of the 1990s. It adds that members still "occasionally face discrimination" (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.4.4). See Asharaaf and xeer, Somali customary law.
In recent conflict records
The EUAA lists two Sheekhaal disputes for April 2023 to March 2025 (EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1):
- the Loobage with the Saleebaan Cabdalle (Surre) in Towfiiq and Afbarwaaqo districts, Mudug
- with the Surre in Jariiban and Hobyo districts, where mediation was under way in February 2025
See Surre and clan conflicts, district by district.
Where sources differ
- Hawiye or not. Abbink and ACLED list them under the Hawiye. ACCORD and the EUAA say they are "associated" with the Hawiye. Wikipedia says some Sheekhaal, such as the Aw Qudub, reject being called Hawiye.
- Lines. The EUAA names three main lines. Wikipedia names five. Somali Wikipedia lists eighteen sons of Fiqi Cumar.
- Ancestry. Wikipedia traces them to the caliph Abu Bakr. ACCORD calls the shared descent "legendary".
Read more
Sources
- Somali Wikipedia, Sheekhaal, backup · so.wikipedia.org
- Abbink, The Total Somali Clan Genealogy, 2009, p. 27 · hdl.handle.net
- ACCORD, Clans in Somalia, 2009, p. 19 · ecoi.net
- ACLED clan actor list, September 2025 · acleddata.com
- EUAA Country Focus 2025, section 1.5.1 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- Wikipedia, Sheekhaal, backup · en.wikipedia.org
- EASO, Somalia: Security situation, 2021 · coi.euaa.europa.eu
- UK Home Office, CPIN Somalia: clans, 2019, quoting EASO 2014 · ecoi.net
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Where this matters
Same era
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Keep reading
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