In Muslim Countries
In Muslim countries, a rabbi was often called a ḥākhām because al-rab in Arabic was one of the names of god and may have caused offense due to misunderstanding. Thus the chief rabbi of the Ottoman Empire was called the Hakham Bashi (Hahambaşı حاخامباشی).
Although the word ḥākhām is derived from the common Semitic root Ḥ-K-M, the second consonant is generally spelled with a ḫāʾ ⟨خ⟩ in Arabic and in languages that use Arabic script, to reflect the Hebrew pronunciation: حاخام. The term is cognate to the Arabic words حاكم ḥākim (ruler/lord) and حكيم ḥakīm (wise man/physician).
Read more about this topic: Hakham
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