Ustad

Ustad, ustadh, ustaz or ustadz (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian: استاد, romanized: ustād) is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages, including Persian, Arabic (as أستاذ ’ustāḏ), Azerbaijani, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Bodo (as [ɔsthād]), Dhivehi, Punjabi, Pashto, Turkish, Kazakh, Uzbek, Indonesian, Malay and Kurdish. The Persian word استاد (ustād) is from Middle Persian 𐫀𐫇𐫏𐫘𐫤𐫀𐫅‎ (awestād, 'master, craftsman'). The title precedes the name and was historically usually used for well-regarded teachers and artists. It can be used for any sort of master of an art or occupation; for example, an acknowledged master motorcycle mechanic would be addressed as ustad. The term is also used by an apprentice (shagerd) for their teacher. In Persian and in the Arabic-speaking world, it also refers to a university professor. Ustad is only used for qualified Islamic scholars in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Southern Thailand where it is a direct equivalent of terms such as shaykh in the Arab world, and mawlānā in the Indian subcontinent. In the Maldives, the title al-usthaadh (އަލްއުސްތާޛު) or its abbreviation Uz. is used by people who are licensed to practice law. Ustad (abbreviated as Ust. or Ut. or Ud. and from Persian استاد) is an honorific title for an expert person in Indian classical singing and instrumental playing, used for a Muslim musician.