Editing Ordination (section)

==Islam==
{{Seealso|Women as imams}}

[[Islam]] has no formal clergy or ordained religious leaders. Ordination is viewed as a distinct aspect of other religions and is rejected.{{cn|date=February 2025}}

Instead, the faith’s religious leaders are usually called [[imam]]s, [[sheikh]]s, or ''[[mawlānā]]''—none of which imply ordination. The title ''imam'' (when not referring to the [[Shia Islam|Shi'a]] doctrine of the ''[[Imamate in Shia doctrine|Imamate]]'') is given to an individual who leads [[Muslims]] in ''[[salah]]''; the term can also be used in a linguistic sense for ''anyone'' who leads other Muslims in congregational prayers. ''[[Sheikh]]'' ({{langx|ar| شَيْخ}}, 'elder' or 'noble') is an Arabic [[honorific]] title for a male [[Islamic scholar]] or tribal chieftain; ''[[Sheikh#For women|shaikhah]]'' ({{lang|ar| شيخة}}) refers to a female learned in Islamic issues. The title is usually more prevalent in Arabic countries. The word ''mawlana'' is a title bestowed upon students who have graduated from a ''[[madrasa]]'' (Islamic theological academy) throughout the Indian subcontinent. Although Muslim schools, universities, and ''madrasas'' might follow different graduation ceremonies upon a student's completion of a 4-year undergraduate program in [[Islamic studies]] or a 7–8-year ''[[Ulama|'alim]]'' course, their respective ceremonies neither symbolize nor confer ordination.