Ashraaf comes from Arabic (أشراف) and is the plural form of Sharif or Shareef (شريف), which literally means "noble" or "privileged". In some countries it used as a term to denote descendants of Muhammed (see Sharif or Shareef). Among South Asian Muslims it used as a term for the Muslim gentry in South Asia, usually claiming Arab or Turkish descent. This group is the equivalent, in some ways, of the European concept of the "gentry" and families/clans within this group have a family name that signify their position—often based on descent from Muhammad, his immediate circle, major Sufi personalities, or from Genghis Khan or other Mongol, Turkish and Tatar warlords. (See Baig and Khan or Mirzas.) Some families also have names based on places in (both places in South Asia and places in Iran, Af