Islamic religious leaders have traditionally been people who, as part of the clerisy,
mosque, or government, performed a prominent role within their community or nation. However, in the modern contexts of Muslim minorities in non-Muslim countries as well as secularised Muslim states like Turkey, and Bangladesh, the religious leadership may take a variety of non-formal shapes.
Compared to religious leaders/clerics of the other
Abrahamic faiths
The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran.
Jewish tradition ...
, Islamic clergy are said to resemble
rabbis and not
priests. Unlike Catholic
priests they do not "serve as intermediaries between mankind and God",
have "process of ordination", or "sacramental functions",
but instead serve as "exemplars, teachers, judges, and community leaders," providing religious rules to the pious on "even the most minor and private" matters.
Alim
(ʿĀlim).
Ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
(/ˈuːləˌmɑː/; Arabic: علماء ʿUlamāʾ, singular عالِم Scholar) religious sciences. In its narrow sense it refers to scholars of Islamic Jurisprudence. In the broader sense, it refers to those who have studied a broad range of essentially Islamic disciplines for several years, for example the hadith and the muhaddith. They represent the Ijmah, or Islamic consensus of the Ummah on religious issues; this does not mean that there can be no disputes - far from it - but they should be aware of what counts as the main consensual opinion, of other dissenting views and their objections.
Allamah
Allamah is an honorary and prestigious title carried by only the very highest scholars of Islamic thought, jurisprudence, and philosophy.
It is used as an honorific in
Sunni Islam as well as in
Shia Islam. Allamah is a leader for the Islamic faith.
Almami
"Almami" is a title of West African Muslim rulers, used especially in the conquest states of the 19th century.
Caliph
Caliph was first used for
Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr Abdallah ibn Uthman Abi Quhafa (; – 23 August 634) was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha, a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 ...
, who was elected head of the Muslim community after the Prophet Muhammad's death.
Imam
Imam is an Arabic word meaning "Leader". The ruler of a country might be called the Imam, for example. The term, however, has important connotations in the Islamic tradition especially in Shia belief. In Sunni belief, the term is used for the founding scholars of the four
Sunni madhhabs, or schools of
religious jurisprudence ''(fiqh)''.
It is commonly used to refer to the official that leads the prayers at the mosques. Meanwhile, in Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia, those who lead any prayers in any places such as at home, are also called imam.
Grand Imam
The "Grand Imam" or "Imam of imams" (Arabic: ) of the
Al-Azhar Mosque
Al-Azhar Mosque ( ar, الجامع الأزهر, al-Jāmiʿ al-ʾAzhar, lit=The Resplendent Congregational Mosque, arz, جامع الأزهر, Gāmiʿ el-ʾazhar), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the historic ...
and
Al-Azhar University
, image = جامعة_الأزهر_بالقاهرة.jpg
, image_size = 250
, caption = Al-Azhar University portal
, motto =
, established =
*970/972 first foundat ...
is a prestigious
Sunni Islam title and a prominent official title in
Egypt. It is considered by Muslims in some countries to indicate the highest authority in Sunni Islam for
Islamic jurisprudence, The grand Imam holds a great influence on followers of the theological
Ash'ari
Ashʿarī theology or Ashʿarism (; ar, الأشعرية: ) is one of the main Sunnī schools of Islamic theology, founded by the Muslim scholar, Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer, and scholastic theologian Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī in the ...
and
Maturidi traditions worldwide, while the defenders of the
Athari
Atharī theology or Atharism ( ar, الأثرية: / , "archeological"), otherwise referred to as Traditionalist theology or Scripturalist theology, is one of the main Sunni schools of Islamic theology. It emerged as an Islamic scholarly moveme ...
and
Salafi
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generati ...
ideologies find their leaders in the Arabian Peninsula. The concept of Imam has its origins in the Quran. Ibrahim was promoted as Imam after his successful sacrifice. Every person at the day of judgement will also be called by his Imam. And there is an Imam e Mubeen who encompasses the whole universe as per the teachings of the Quran. Noble Imperial Sheik is the title for the Grand Imam of Al Hakika Mizaan Mizaani Sufi Order.
Ghazi
Ghazi was an individual who participated in ghazw, meaning military expeditions or raiding.
Grand Mufti
The title of "Grand Mufti" (Arabic: ) refers to the highest official of religious law in some Muslim countries.
The Official website of a Common Word
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Muezzin
Muezzin (the word is pronounced this way in Turkish, Urdu, etc.; in Arabic, it is ''muathi'' u-a-thin ) is any person at the mosque who makes the adhan
Adhan ( ar, أَذَان ; also variously transliterated as athan, adhane (in French), azan/azaan (in South Asia), adzan (in Southeast Asia), and ezan (in Turkish), among other languages) is the Islamic call to public prayer ( salah) in a mo ...
, or athan (call to prayer) for the Friday prayer service and the five daily prayers, or salat
(, plural , romanized: or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːh, ( or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːtʰin construct state) ), also known as ( fa, نماز) and also spelled , are prayers performed by Muslims. Facing the , the direction of the Kaaba wit ...
. Some mosques have specific places for the adhan to be made from, such as a minaret
A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گلدسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
or a designated area in the mosque. Major mosques usually have a person who is called the "servant of the mosque". He usually is the person who performs the athan. In the case of small mosques, the imam of the mosque would perform the athan.
Mujtahid
Mujtahids are interpreters of the Qur'an and Hadith, the Islamic scriptures. These were traditionally Muftis who used interpretation (''ijtihad
''Ijtihad'' ( ; ar, اجتهاد ', ; lit. physical or mental ''effort'') is an Islamic legal term referring to independent reasoning by an expert in Islamic law, or the thorough exertion of a jurist's mental faculty in finding a solution to a le ...
'') to clarify Islamic law, but in many modern secular contexts, Islamic law is no longer the law of the land. In that case, the traditional Mufti may well be replaced by a university or madrasa professor who informally functions as adviser to the local Muslim community in religious matters such as inheritance, divorce, etc.
Kyai
Kyai or Kiai is a title originally used in Javanese culture
Javanese culture is the culture of the Javanese people.
Javanese culture is centered in the provinces of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java in Indonesia. Due to various migrations, it can also be found in other parts of the world, such as S ...
. Only a male person is called with this appellation. His wife is called "nyai". In early modern times it is mainly used for the headmaster of an Islamic Boarding School (in Indonesia known as ''pondok pesantren''). However, nowadays it is common in Indonesia to call any elderly preacher from any cultural background with this title.
Due to animistic belief of ancient Javanese people, the title "Kyai" is also used to call almost all persons and things venerated. Therefore, it is also common too for kris
The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its dist ...
, weapons, gamelan
Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...
, trees and certain venerated cattles.
Titles used only by Shia Muslims
Ayatollah
Ayatollah (Arabic: ; Persian: ) is a prestigious title given to major Shia clergymen. Ayatollah means "sign of God"; those who carry it are considered experts in Islamic studies.
Grand Ayatollah
Only a few of the most important ayatollah of one of the ayatollahs refer to him in many situations and ask him to publish his Juristic book in which he answers the vast majority of daily Muslim affairs. The book is called Resalah, which is usually a reinvention of the book Al-Urwatu l-Wuthqah, according to their knowledge of the most authentic Islamic sources and their application to current life.
See also
* Succession to Muhammad
* List of Caliphs
*List of Grand Imams of Al-Azhar
The post of Grand Imam of al-Azhar, or ''shaykh'' of al-Azhar, has been filled by a member of the ''ulema'', the religious scholars, of Egypt. The position of Grand Imam is among the most prominent roles in Islam and is often considered to be th ...
*List of Grand Ayatollahs
Maraji are the supreme legal authority for Twelver Shia Muslims. The following articles contain lists of Maraji:
* List of current Maraji''
* List of deceased Maraji''
See also
* Marja'
*Ijtihad
* Hawza
* Risalah (fiqh)
*List of Ayatollahs
*Li ...
*List of Maraji
Maraji are the supreme legal authority for Twelver Shia Muslims. The following articles contain lists of Maraji:
* List of current Maraji''
* List of deceased Maraji''
See also
*Marja'
*Ijtihad
*Hawza
*Risalah (fiqh)
Risalah ( ar, رسالـ ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Islamic Religious Leaders
Religious leadership roles