Imam: Difference between revisions
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==Prayer Leader== |
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allah (swt) selected the imams (as(. the prophet muhammed (peace be upon him) personally picked imam ali (as) over any one else when returning from his last hajj. he stopped over 2,000 followers in the scorching heat of the sun to ensure they were all witnesses to this very important moment that took place at ghadeer khum. however, when imam ali was preparing the funeral for our blessive prophet after he died, some people preffered to use that time in making plans to remove imam ali. from tghat day until today, true muslims have been opressesd. ' man kuntu mawli fa ali mawla' (who's master i was, ali is there master' where the words of the prophet muhammed (saw. |
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The everyday use of the word is for a person leading the Muslim congregational prayers, ''[[salah]]''. In this meaning the imam is not required to be a [[clergy|cleric]]. |
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==Clerical "Imams"== |
==Clerical "Imams"== |
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Revision as of 23:08, 5 November 2006
Imam (Arabic: إمام ,Persian: امام ) is an Arabic word meaning "leader." The ruler of a country might be called the imam, for example. However, the capitalized term or The Imam (Arabic: الإمام) has important connotations in the Islamic tradition, especially in Shi'a beliefs. It is also an honorific title; for example "Imam Abu Hanifa" could arguably be translated as "the honorable/leader father of Hanifa."
Prayer Leader
The everyday use of the word is for a person leading the Muslim congregational prayers, salah. In this meaning the imam is not required to be a cleric.
Clerical "Imams"
Shi'a "Imams"
In the Shi'a context, Imam has a meaning more central to belief. The Shi'a believe that The Imam is someone who is able to lead mankind in all aspects of life. In addition, they believe that an Imam is a perfect example in everything. According to the Shi'a, an Imam is a leader that must be followed since he is appointed by Allah (God).
Besides the concept of Imamah, some Twelver Shi'a honor Ayatollah Khomeini with the title "Imam", while other Twelvers object to that use, arguing that the Twelver connotation makes it wrong to give the title to someone else while the twelfth Imam, Imam Mahdi, is the current Imam.
Sunni "Imams"
The term is also used for a recognized religious leader or teacher in Islam, often for the founding scholars of the four Sunni madhhabs, or schools of religious jurisprudence (fiqh). It may also refer to the Imams of the sciences related to Hadith or to the heads of the Prophet's descendants in their times. In other words, "Imam Ali" is a phrase used by both Shi'a and Sunni Muslims, though with different connotations [1].
The Sunni sect does not have Imams as does the Shi'a sect. The imam in the Sunni sect of Islam is the leader of prayers; the sermon is most often given by the Sheikh.
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