Imamate

The term Imamate or Imamah (Arabic: إمامة, imāmah) refers to leadership, most commonly the office of an Imam, or to religious and communal authority. In Sunni Islam, it is associated with the leadership of the Muslim community, particularly in a political sense. In Shia Islam, it refers to the divinely appointed leadership of the community after Muhammad, embodied by the Twelve Imams.