Editing Sultan (section)

{{short description|Noble title with several historical meanings}}
{{other uses|Sultan (disambiguation)}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2021}}
[[File:EmperorSuleiman.jpg|thumb|[[Suleiman the Magnificent]], the longest-reigning [[sultan of the Ottoman Empire]]|281x281px]]
{{Royal and noble ranks of West, Central, and Southern Asia}}

'''Sultan''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|ʌ|l|t|ən}}; {{langx|ar|سلطان}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|ALA|sulṭān}}'', {{IPA|ar|sʊlˈtˤɑːn, solˈtˤɑːn|pron}}) is a [[Royal and noble ranks|position]] with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic [[abstract noun]] meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the [[verbal noun]] {{lang|ar|سلطة}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|ALA|sulṭah}}'', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty (i.e., not having dependence on any higher ruler) without claiming the overall [[caliphate]], or to refer to a powerful [[governor]] of a province within the caliphate. The adjectival form of the word is "sultanic",<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=sultan |encyclopedia=Dictionary.com |access-date=2023-02-08 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208012050/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sultan |archive-date=2023-02-08 |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sultan |url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[State (polity)|state]] and territories ruled by a sultan, as well as his office, are referred to as a '''sultanate''' ({{lang|ar|سلطنة}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|ALA|salṭanah}}''<span style="margin-left:2px">)</span>.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Sultanate |encyclopedia=Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary |access-date=2022-06-22 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622151856/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultanate |archive-date=2022-06-22 |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultanate |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Sultanate |encyclopedia=Britannica Dictionary |access-date=2022-06-22 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622151856/https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/sultanate |archive-date=2022-06-22 |url=https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/sultanate |url-status=live}}</ref>

The term is distinct from king ({{lang|ar|ملك}} ''{{Transliteration|ar|ALA|[[malik]]}}''), though both refer to a sovereign ruler. The use of "sultan" is restricted to Muslim countries, where the title carries religious significance,<ref name="Montgomery2004">{{Cite book |last=Montgomery |first=James Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VHZXeOs_xYsC&pg=PA83 |title=ʻAbbasid Studies: Occasional Papers of the School of ʻAbbasid Studies, Cambridge, 6–10 July 2002 |publisher=Peeters Publishers |year=2004 |isbn=978-90-429-1433-9 |pages=83 |access-date=16 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127105529/https://books.google.com/books?id=VHZXeOs_xYsC&pg=PA83#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=27 January 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Kassis1999">{{Cite book |last=Riad Aziz Kassis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_zvXrQ7W7PEC&pg=PA65 |title=The Book of Proverbs and Arabic Proverbial Works |publisher=Brill |year=1999 |isbn=90-04-11305-3 |pages=65 |access-date=2018-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240127105608/https://books.google.com/books?id=_zvXrQ7W7PEC&pg=PA65#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=2024-01-27 |url-status=live}}</ref> contrasting the more secular ''king'', which is used in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

[[Brunei]], [[Malaysia]] and [[Oman]] are the only [[sovereign state]]s which retain the title "sultan" for their monarchs. In recent years, the title has been gradually replaced by "king" by contemporary hereditary rulers who wish to emphasize their secular authority under the rule of law. A notable example is [[Morocco]], whose monarch changed his title from sultan to king in 1957.