Sultan is an Islamic title, with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from sulṭah, meaning "authority" or "power".

Later, it came to be used as the title of certain Muslim rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty in practical terms (i.e., the lack of dependence on any higher ruler), without claiming the overall Caliphate, or it was used to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate.