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Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic leadership position. For
Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...
s, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead
Islamic worship Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
services, lead prayers, serve as community leaders, and provide religious guidance. Thus for Sunnis, anyone can study the basic Islamic sciences and become an Imam. For most Shia Muslims, the Imams are absolute infallible leaders of the Islamic community after the Prophet. Shias consider the term to be only applicable to the members and descendents of the ''
Ahl al-Bayt Ahl al-Bayt ( ar, أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, ) refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, but the term has also been extended in Sunni Islam to apply to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. ...
'', the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In
Twelver Shia Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...
sm there are 14 infallibles, 12 of which are Imams, the final being
Imam Mahdi The Mahdi ( ar, ٱلْمَهْدِيّ, al-Mahdī, lit=the Guided) is a messianic figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the end of times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad wh ...
who will return at the end of times. The title was also used by the Zaidi Shia Imams of Yemen, who eventually founded the
Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen The Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen ( ar, المملكة المتوكلية اليمنية '), also known as the Kingdom of Yemen or simply as Yemen, or, retrospectively, as North Yemen, was a state that existed between 1918 and 1962 in the nor ...
(1918–1970).


Sunni imams

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...
does not have imams in the same sense as the
Shi'a Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...
, an important distinction often overlooked by those outside of the Islamic religion. In everyday terms, an ''imam'' for Sunni Muslims is the one who leads Islamic formal ( Fard) prayers, even in locations besides the mosque, whenever prayers are done in a group of two or more with one person leading (imam) and the others following by copying his ritual actions of worship.
Friday sermon In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day accordin ...
is most often given by an appointed imam. All mosques have an imam to lead the ( congregational) prayers, even though it may sometimes just be a member from the gathered congregation rather than an officially appointed salaried person. The position of
women as imams There is a difference of opinion among Muslims regarding the circumstances in which women may act as imams, i.e. to lead a mixed gendered congregation in ''salat'' (prayer). The orthodox position is that women cannot lead prayers for men, which is ...
is controversial. The person that should be chosen, according to Hadith, is one who has most knowledge of the Quran and ''
Sunnah In Islam, , also spelled ( ar, سنة), are the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time evidently saw and followed and passed ...
'' (prophetic tradition) and is of good character. The term is also used for a recognized religious scholar or authority in Islam, often for the founding scholars of the four Sunni madhhabs, or schools of jurisprudence (''fiqh''). It may also refer to the Islamic scholars who created the analytical sciences related to Hadith or it may refer to the heads of Muhammad's family in their generational times.


The position of imams in Turkey

Imams are appointed by the state to work at mosques and they are required to be graduates of an İmam Hatip high school or have a university degree in Theology. This is an official position regulated by the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Turkey and only males are appointed to this position; while female officials under the same state organisation work as preachers and Qur'an course tutors, religious services experts, etc. These officials are supposed to belong to the Hanafi school of the Sunni sect. A central figure in an Islamic movement is also called an imam, like
Imam Nawawi Abū Zakariyyā Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī ( ar, أبو زكريا يحيى بن شرف النووي;‎ (631A.H-676A.H) (October 1230–21 December 1277), popularly known as al-Nawawī or Imam Nawawī, was a Sunni Shafi'ite jurist and ha ...
in Syria.


Shia imams

In the Shi'a context, an imam is not only presented as the man of God ''par excellence'', but as participating fully in the names, attributes, and acts that theology usually reserves for God alone. Imams have a meaning more central to belief, referring to leaders of the community. Twelver and
Ismaili Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...
Shi'a believe that these imams are chosen by God to be perfect examples for the faithful and to lead all humanity in all aspects of life. They also believe that all the imams chosen are free from committing any sin, impeccability which is called '' ismah''. These leaders must be followed since they are appointed by God.


Twelver

Here follows a list of the Twelvers Shia imams: Fatimah, also Fatimah al-Zahraa, daughter of Muhammed (615–632), is also considered infallible but not an Imam. The Shi'a believe that the last Imam, the 12th Imam Mahdi will one day emerge on the Day of Resurrection (''Qiyamah'').


Ismaili

: ''See Imamah (Ismaili doctrine) and List of Ismaili imams for Ismaili imams.''


Zaidi

:''See details under
Zaidiyyah Zaydism (''h'') is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, ...
, Islamic history of Yemen and Imams of Yemen.''


Imams as secular rulers

At times, imams have held both secular and religious authority. This was the case in Oman among the
Kharijite The Kharijites (, singular ), also called al-Shurat (), were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First Fitna (656–661). The first Kharijites were supporters of Ali who rebelled against his acceptance of arbitration talks to settle the c ...
or Ibadi sects. At times, the imams were elected. At other times the position was inherited, as with the Yaruba dynasty from 1624 and 1742. See List of rulers of Oman, the
Rustamid dynasty The Rustamid dynasty () (or ''Rustumids'', ''Rostemids'') was a ruling house of Ibāḍī imāms of Persian descent centered in Algeria. The dynasty governed as a Muslim theocracy for a century and a half from its capital Tiaret (present day Tag ...
: 776–909, Nabhani dynasty: 1154–1624, the Yaruba dynasty: 1624–1742, the
Al Said The House of Busaid (, ), also known as Al Said dynasty, is the current ruling royal house of the Oman, and former ruling royal house of the Omani Empire (from 1744 to 1856), Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (1856 to 1970) and the Sultanate of Za ...
: 1744–present for further information. The Imamate of Futa Jallon (1727-1896) was a Fulani state in West Africa where secular power alternated between two lines of hereditary Imams, or ''almami''. In the Zaidi Shiite sect, imams were secular as well as spiritual leaders who held power in Yemen for more than a thousand years. In 897, a Zaidi ruler, al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya, founded a line of such imams, a theocratic form of government which survived until the second half of the 20th century. (See details under
Zaidiyyah Zaydism (''h'') is a unique branch of Shia Islam that emerged in the eighth century following Zayd ibn Ali‘s unsuccessful rebellion against the Umayyad Caliphate. In contrast to other Shia Muslims of Twelver Shi'ism and Isma'ilism, Zaydis, ...
, History of Yemen, Imams of Yemen.):)
Ruhollah Khomeini Ruhollah Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini, Imam Khomeini ( , ; ; 17 May 1900 – 3 June 1989) was an Iranian political and religious leader who served as the first supreme leader of Iran from 1979 until his death in 1989. He was the founder of ...
is officially referred to as Imam in Iran. Several Iranian places and institutions are named "Imam Khomeini", including a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
, an
international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...
, a
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
, and a university.


Gallery


Imams

File:Asif muharram 1795 1.jpg, An Imam reads verses from the Quran after Isha' (night prayers) in the Mughal Empire File:Govardhan. A Discourse Between Muslim Sages ca. 1630 LACMA.jpg, Discourse between
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic Imams in the Mughal Empire File:Карло Боссоли. Татарская школа для детей.jpg, Crimean Tatar imams teach the Quran. Lithograph by
Carlo Bossoli Carlo Bossoli (6 December 1815, in Lugano – 1 August 1884, in Turin) was a Swiss-born Italian painter and lithographer, who spent his early career in Russia. He is best known for historical scenes from the Risorgimento. Biography His ...
File:Imam presidant la priere.jpg, Imam presiding over prayer, North Africa File:Pirosmani. Shamil with a Bodyguard. Oil on oil-cloth, 112x90 cm. The State Museum of Fine Arts of Georgia, Tbilisi.jpg, Imam Shamil, Caucasus File:Bruner-Dvorak, Rudolf - Bosna, imam (ca 1906).jpg, Imam in Bosnia, c. 1906 File:Roollah-khomeini.jpg, Imam Khomeini, leader of the
Iranian revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
File:Mahdist in the Khalifa's house, Omdurman, Sudan.png, An Imam in Omdurman, Sudan File:Constantinople(1878)-begging dervis.png, An Ottoman imam in Constantinople File:Bosniak imam.jpg, A
Bosniak The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, cu ...
military imam in the Austro-Hungarian Army File:Imam ndiawar.JPG, Imam Thierno Ibrahima Thiello File:Portret van Tuanku Imam Bonjol.jpg, Tuanku Imam Bonjol (of South East Asia)


Muftis

File:Mirza Huseyn Qayibzade.jpg, Grand Mufti Mirza Huseyn Qayibzade of Tbilisi File:Moeurs et costumes des Orientaux (recueil).f024.jpg, Travelling muftis of the Ottoman Empire File:Jakub Szynkiewicz.png, Mufti,
Jakub Szynkiewicz Jakub Szynkiewicz (April 16, 1884 – November 1, 1966) was a Doctor of Philosophy as well as Oriental Studies, chosen as the first mufti of the newly independent Poland in 1925. Biography Jakub Szynkiewicz was born to a Tatar family on 16 Apr ...
File:Absattar Derbisali.png, Grand Mufti
Absattar Derbisali Absattar Baghysbaiuly Derbisali ( kk, Әбсаттар Бағысбайұлы Дербісәлі, Ä''bsattar Bağysbaiūly Derbısälı''; September 15, 1947 – July 15, 2021) was a Kazakhstan, Kazakh Grand Mufti.Kazakhstan File:Muftí.jpg, Ottoman Grand Mufti File:Türkischer Mufti.jpg, Ottoman Grand Mufti File:Makam Surgi Mufti (2).jpg, Tomb of mufti in Indonesia File:Supreme Mufti of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin.jpeg, Grand Mufti
Talgat Tadzhuddin Talgat Safich Tadzhuddin (russian: Талгат Сафич Тадзетдинов, tt-Cyrl, Тәлгать Сафа улы Таҗетдин ''Tälğät Safa ulı Tacetdin''; born 12 October 1948, in Kazan) is a Russian Shaykh al-Islām. He was Ch ...
File:Gérôme - Mufti Reading in His Prayer Stool.jpg, Mufti delivering a sermon


Shaykh

File:Portrait of Sheikhulislam by Huseinzade.jpg, Portrait of Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus
Ahmad Huseinzadeh Ahmad Huseinzadeh ( az, Əhməd Hüseynzadə) also known as Sheikh Ahmad Salyani — third Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus, maternal grandfather of Ali bey Huseynzade. Early life He was born in Salyan in 1812 to Ali Huseynzadeh. He was brought u ...
by Ali bey Huseynzadeh File:Muslim sheikh, Tbilisi (de Baye).JPG, Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus
Abdussalam Akhundzadeh Abdussalam Akhundzadeh (, ) was an Azerbaijani religious educator, Islamic theologian and the fifth Sheikh ul-Islam of the Caucasus. Early life He was born in Salyan on 13 January 1843 to local cleric Akhund Vali Muhammad and his wife Khanum Ali ...
File:Hamza Yusuf.png, Sheikh Hamza Yusuf File:G1895 pg006 KURDISH SHEIKHS.jpg, Kurdish sheikhs, 1895. File:Sheykh of the Rufai Dervishes.jpg, Sheikh of the Rufai
Sufi Order A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...


See also

* Ayatollah *
Imam of Friday Prayer The Imam of Friday Prayer (Arabic: امام صلاة الجمعة) or ''Imam Jom'a'' (''Jumu'ah'') is the person who conducts the Friday prayer in Islam and preaches related sermons. Qualifications to serve An Imam of Friday Prayer is expe ...
*
Imamate {{expand Arabic, date=April 2021 The term imamate or ''imamah'' ( ar, إمامة, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a state ruled by an ''imam''. Theology *Imamate, in Sunni doctrine the caliphate :* Naqshb ...
* Mufti


Notes


Citations


Works cited

* * Encyclopædia Britannica Online by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. * * * *


General references

* *


External links

* * * {{Authority control Islamic religious leaders Religious leadership roles Titles of national or ethnic leadership Islamic honorifics Imamate