Editing Imam

{{Short description|Islamic leadership position}}
{{Other uses|Emam (disambiguation){{!}}Emam}}
{{Distinguish|Iman (disambiguation){{!}}Iman|Imamah}}
[[File:Imam presidant la priere.jpg|thumb|''Imam presiding over prayer'', [[Nasreddine Dinet]], circa 1922]]
{{Usul al-fiqh}} 
[[File:Prayer in Cairo 1865.jpg|thumb|''Prayer in [[Cairo]]'', painting by [[Jean-Léon Gérôme]], 1865]]
'''Imam''' ({{IPAc-en|ɪ|ˈ|m|ɑː|m}}; {{langx|ar|إمام}}, ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|imām}}''; {{plural form}}: {{lang|ar|أئمة}}, ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|a'immah}}'') is an [[Islam]]ic leadership position. For [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslim]]s, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a [[mosque]]. In this context, imams may lead [[Salah|Islamic prayers]], serve as community leaders, and provide religious guidance. Thus for Sunnis, anyone can study the basic Islamic teachings and become an imam.

For most [[Shia Islam|Shia Muslim]]s, 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 descendants of the ''[[Ahl al-Bayt]]'', the family of the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]]. In [[Twelver Shia|Twelver Shi'ism]] there are 14 [[The Fourteen Infallible|infallibles]], 12 of which are Imams, the final being [[Muhammad al-Mahdi|Imam Mahdi]] who will return at the end of times.<ref>{{harvnb|Corbin|1993|p=30}}</ref> The title was also used by the [[Zaydism|Zaidi Shia]] [[Imams of Yemen]], who eventually founded the [[Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen]] (1918–1970).

==Sunni imams==
[[Sunni Islam]] does not conceive of the role of imams in the same sense as [[Shia Islam]]: an important distinction often overlooked by non-Muslims. In everyday terms, an ''imam'' for Sunni Muslims is the person charged with leading formal Islamic prayers ([[Fard]]){{em dash}}even in locations besides the mosque{{em dash}}whenever prayer is performed in a group of two or more. The imam leads the worship and the congregation copies his actions. [[Friday Sermon|Friday sermons]] are most often given by an appointed imam. All mosques have an imam to lead the congregational prayers{{em dash}}even though it may sometimes just be a member from the gathered congregation rather than an officially appointed, salaried person. [[Women as imams|Women cannot be imams]] when men are present but are allowed to be when no men are present. An imam should be chosen, according to [[Hadith]],{{which|date = July 2024}} based on his knowledge of the [[Quran]] and ''[[Sunnah]]'' and his moral character.

===Title of scholarly authority===

Another well-known use of the term is as an honorary title for a recognized religious scholarly authority in Islam. It is especially used for a [[Faqīh|jurist (''faqih'')]] and often for the founders of the four Sunni ''[[madhhab]]''s or schools of [[fiqh|jurisprudence (''fiqh'')]], as well as an authority on [[Tafsir|Quranic exegesis (''tafsir'')]], such as [[Al-Tabari]] or [[Ibn Kathir]].

It may also refer to the [[Muhaddith|''Muhaddithūn'']] or scholars who created the analytical sciences related to [[Hadith]]; due to their scholarly authority, the term may also refer to the heads of [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]]'s family in their generational times.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dhami|first1=Sangeeta|last2=Sheikh|first2=Aziz|date=November 2000|title=The Muslim family|journal=Western Journal of Medicine|volume=173|issue=5|pages=352–356|issn=0093-0415|pmc=1071164|pmid=11069879|doi=10.1136/ewjm.173.5.352}}</ref>

{{Infobox occupation
| name               = Imam Ibrahim Hawlery
| synonyms           = 
| pronounce          = 
| image              = 
| imagesize          = 
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| official_names     = 
| type               = [[vocation]]
| activity_sector    = religion
| competencies       = Knowledge of Quran and Sunnah, religious devotion
| formation          = Madrassa, [[İmam Hatip school]] or university education
| employment_field   = Mosque
| related_occupation = [[Mufti]]
}}

=== 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 school|İmam Hatip high school]] or have a university degree in theology. This is an official position regulated by the [[Presidency of Religious Affairs]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.diyanet.gov.tr/en/home |title=Presidency of Religious Affairs|website=www.diyanet.gov.tr}}</ref> in Turkey and only men are appointed to this position, whilst 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 [[Al-Nawawi|Imam Nawawi]] in Syria.

==Shia imams==
{{Main|Imamate in Shia doctrine|Twelve 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.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Amir-Moezzi|first1=Ali|title=Spirituality and Islam |date=2008 |publisher=Tauris |location=London |isbn=9781845117382|page=103}}</ref> Imams have a meaning more central to belief, referring to leaders of the community. [[Twelver]] and [[Ismaili]] 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 [[Twelver Shi`ism|Twelvers]] Shia imams:

{|class="wikitable" width="100%" style="background:#ffffff;"
|- style="border-bottom:3px solid #CCCCFF"
! Number !! Name<br />(Full/[[Kunya (Arabic)|Kunya]]) !! Title<br />([[Arabic language|Arabic]]/[[Turkish language|Turkish]])<ref>The imam's Arabic titles are used by the majority of Twelver Shia who use [[Arabic]] as a [[liturgical language]], including the [[Usooli]], [[Akhbari]], [[Shaykhi]], and to a lesser extent [[Alawites|Alawi]]. Turkish titles are generally used by [[Alevi]], a fringe Twelver group, who make up around 10% of the world Shia population. The titles for each imam literally translate as "First Ali", "Second Ali", and so forth. {{cite book | last = Mattar | first = Philip | title = Encyclopedia of the modern Middle East & North Africa | publisher = Macmillan Reference USA | location = Detroit, Mich | year = 2004 | isbn = 9780028657691 }}</ref>!! Birth–Death<br />([[Common Era|CE]]/[[Islamic calendar|AH]]){{efn|The abbreviation CE refers to the [[Common Era]] [[solar calendar]], while AH refers to the Islamic [[Islamic calendar|Hijri]] [[lunar calendar]].}}!! Importance !! Birthplace (present day country) !! Place of death and burial
|-
|1
|[[Ali|Ali ibn Abi Talib]]<br />علي بن أبي طالب<hr>Abu al-Hassan or Abu al-Husayn<br /> أبو الحسین or أبو الحسن
|[[Amir al-Mu'minin]]<br />(Commander of the Faithful)<ref name="Ali in Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Nasr |first=Seyyed Hossein | author-link=Seyyed Hossein Nasr | title=Ali | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online | access-date=2007-10-12|url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9005712/Ali}}</ref><hr>Birinci Ali<ref name="Alevi">{{cite book | last = Mattar | first = Philip | title = Encyclopedia of the modern Middle East & North Africa | publisher = Macmillan Reference USA | location = Detroit, Mich | year = 2004 | isbn = 9780028657691 }}</ref>
|600–661<ref name="Ali in Britannica"/><hr>23&nbsp;BH–40<ref>Tabatabae (1979), pp.190-192</ref>
|The first [[imamah (Shi'a twelver doctrine)|imam]] and [[Succession to Muhammad|successor of Muhammad]] in [[Shia Islam]]; however, the [[Sunni]]s acknowledge him as the [[Rashidun|fourth Caliph]] as well. He holds a high position in almost all [[Sufism|Sufi]] [[Tariqah|Muslim orders]] (Turuq); the members of these orders trace their lineage to Muhammad through him.<ref name="Ali in Britannica"/>
|[[Mecca]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Ali in Britannica"/>
|Assassinated by [[Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam]], a [[Kharijite]] in [[Kufa]], who slashed him with a poisoned sword.<ref name="Ali in Britannica"/><ref>Tabatabae (1979), p.192</ref> Buried at the [[Imam Ali Shrine|Imam Ali Mosque]] in [[Najaf]], [[Iraq]].
|-
|2
|[[Hasan ibn Ali|Hassan ibn Ali]]<br />الحسن بن علي<hr>Abu Muhammad<br />أبو محمد
|al-Mujtaba<hr>İkinci Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
|624–670<ref name="Hasan in Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia| title=Hasan | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online | access-date=2007-11-08 |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9039439/Hasan }}</ref>
----3–50<ref>Tabatabae (1979), pp.194–195</ref>
|He was the eldest surviving grandson of [[Muhammad]] through Muhammad's daughter, [[Fatimah Zahra]]. Hasan succeeded his father as the caliph in [[Kufa]], and on the basis of peace treaty with [[Muawiya I]], he relinquished control of [[Iraq]] following a reign of seven months.<ref name="Hasan ibn Ali Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Madelung |first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title=Hasan ibn Ali | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2008-03-23 |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hasan-b-ali}}</ref>
|[[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Hasan in Britannica"/>
|Poisoned by his wife in [[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref>Tabatabae (1979), p.195</ref> Buried in [[Jannat al-Baqi]].
|-
|3
|[[Husayn ibn Ali]]<br />الحسین بن علي<hr>Abu Abdillah<br />أبو عبدالله
|Sayed al-Shuhada<hr>Üçüncü Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
|626–680<ref name="Husayn in Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia| title=al-Husayn | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online | access-date=2007-11-08 |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9041622/al-Husayn-ibn-Ali }}</ref>
----4–61<ref>Tabatabae (1979), pp.196–199</ref>
|He was a grandson of [[Muhammad]]. Husayn opposed the validity of [[Caliph]] [[Yazid I]]. As a result, he and his family were later killed in the [[Battle of Karbala]] by Yazid's forces. After this incident, the [[commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali]] has become a central ritual in Shia identity.<ref name="Husayn in Britannica"/><ref name="Husayn ibn Ali Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Calmard |first=Jean | title=Husayn ibn Ali | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2008-03-23 |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/hosayn-b-ali }}</ref>
|[[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Husayn in Britannica"/>
|Killed on [[Day of Ashura]] (10 Muharram) and beheaded at the [[Battle of Karbala]].<ref name="Husayn in Britannica"/> Buried at the [[Imam Husayn Shrine]] in [[Karbala]], [[Iraq]].
|-
|4
|[[Ali ibn Husayn|Ali ibn al-Hussein]]<br />علي بن الحسین<hr>Abu Muhammad<br />أبو محمد
|al-Sajjad, Zain al-Abedin<ref name="Ali ibn Husayn in Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Madelung |first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title='ALĪ B. AL-ḤOSAYN | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-08 |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-b-hosayn-b-ali }}</ref>
----Dördüncü Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
|658–9<ref name="Ali ibn Husayn in Iranica"/> – 712<ref name="Tabatabae">Tabatabae (1979), p.202</ref>
----38<ref name="Ali ibn Husayn in Iranica"/>–95<ref name="Tabatabae"/>
|Author of prayers in [[Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya]], which is known as "The Psalm of [[Ahl al-Bayt|the Household of the Prophet]]."<ref name="Tabatabae"/>
|[[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Ali ibn Husayn in Iranica"/>
|According to most Shia scholars, he was poisoned on the order of Caliph [[al-Walid I]] in [[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="Tabatabae"/> Buried in [[Jannat al-Baqi]].
|-
|5
|[[Muhammad al-Baqir|Muhammad ibn Ali]]<br />محمد بن علي<hr>Abu Ja'far<br />أبو جعفر
|al-Baqir al-Ulum<br />
(splitting open knowledge)<ref name="Muhammad al-Baqir in Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Madelung |first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title=AL-BAQER, ABU JAFAR MOHAMMAD | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-08 |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/baqer-abu-jafar-mohammad }}</ref>
----Beşinci Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
| 677–732<ref name="Muhammad al-Baqir in Iranica"/>
----57–114<ref name="Muhammad al-Baqir in Iranica"/>
|Sunni and Shia sources both describe him as one of the early and most eminent [[Faqih|legal scholars]], teaching many students during his tenure.<ref name="Muhammad al-Baqir in Iranica"/><ref>Tabatabae (1979), p.203</ref>
|[[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Muhammad al-Baqir in Iranica"/>
|According to some Shia scholars, he was poisoned by Ibrahim ibn Walid ibn 'Abdallah in [[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]] on the order of Caliph [[Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik]].<ref name="Tabatabae"/> Buried in [[Jannat al-Baqi]].
|-
|6
|[[Jafar al-Sadiq|Ja'far ibn Muhammad]]<br />جعفر بن محمد<hr>Abu Abdillah<br />أبو عبدالله
|al-Sadiq<ref name="Jafar al-Sadiq">Tabatabae (1979), p.203-204</ref>
<br />(the Trustworthy)
----Altıncı Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
| 702–765<ref name="Jafar al-Sadiq"/>
----83–148<ref name="Jafar al-Sadiq"/>
|Established the [[Ja'fari jurisprudence]] and developed the [[Theology of Shia]]. He instructed many scholars in different fields, including [[Abu Hanifah]] and [[Malik ibn Anas]] in [[fiqh]], [[Wasil ibn Ata]] and [[Hisham ibn Hakam]] in [[Kalam|Islamic theology]], and [[Jābir ibn Hayyān]] in science and [[alchemy]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| title= Wāṣil ibn ʿAṭāʾ| encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online |date = 1 January 2019 |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9076198/Wasil-ibn-Ata }}</ref>
|[[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Jafar al-Sadiq"/>
|According to Shia sources, he was poisoned in [[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]] on the order of Caliph [[Al-Mansur]].<ref name="Jafar al-Sadiq"/> Buried in [[Jannat al-Baqi]].
|-
|7
|[[Musa al-Kazim|Musa ibn Ja'far]]<br />موسی بن جعفر<hr>Abu al-Hassan I<br />أبو الحسن الأول<ref name="Ali al-Reza in Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Madelung |first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title='ALĪ AL-HĀDĪ | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-09 |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-al-reza}}</ref>
|al-Kazim<ref name="Musa al-Kazim">Tabatabae (1979), p.205</ref>
----Yedinci Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
|744–799<ref name="Musa al-Kazim"/>
----128–183<ref name="Musa al-Kazim"/>
|Leader of the Shia community during the schism of [[Ismaili]] and other branches after the death of the former imam, [[Jafar al-Sadiq]].<ref>Tabatabae (1979)  p. 78</ref> He established the network of agents who collected [[khums]] in the Shia community of the Middle East and the [[Greater Khorasan]].<ref>Sachedina (1988), pp.53–54</ref>
|[[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Musa al-Kazim"/>
|Imprisoned and poisoned in [[Baghdad]], [[Iraq]] on the order of Caliph [[Harun al-Rashid]]. Buried in the [[Kazimayn|Kazimayn shrine]] in Baghdad.<ref name="Musa al-Kazim"/>
|-
|8
|[[Ali al-Rida|Ali ibn Musa]]<br />علي بن موسی<hr><ref name="Ali al-Reza in Iranica"/>
|al-Rida, Reza<ref name="Ali al-Reza">Tabatabae (1979), pp.205–207</ref>
----Sekizinci Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
|765–817<ref name="Ali al-Reza"/>
----148–203<ref name="Ali al-Reza"/>
|Made crown-prince by Caliph [[Al-Ma'mun]], and famous for his discussions with both Muslim and non-Muslim religious scholars.<ref name="Ali al-Reza"/>
|[[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Ali al-Reza"/>
|According to Shia sources, he was poisoned in [[Mashad]], [[Iran]] on the order of Caliph Al-Ma'mun. Buried in the [[Imam Reza shrine]] in [[Mashad]].<ref name="Ali al-Reza"/>
|-
|9
|[[Muhammad al-Taqi|Muhammad ibn Ali]]<br />محمد بن علي<hr>Abu Ja'far<br />أبو جعفر
|al-Taqi, al-Jawad<ref name="Muhammad al-Taqi">Tabatabae (1979), p. 207</ref>
----Dokuzuncu Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
|810–835<ref name="Muhammad al-Taqi"/>
----195–220<ref name="Muhammad al-Taqi"/>
|Famous for his generosity and piety in the face of persecution by the [[Abbasid caliphate]].
|[[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Muhammad al-Taqi"/>
|Poisoned by his wife, Al-Ma'mun's daughter, in [[Baghdad]], [[Iraq]] on the order of Caliph [[Al-Mu'tasim]]. Buried in the [[Kazmain|Kazmain shrine]] in Baghdad.<ref name="Muhammad al-Taqi"/>
|-
|10
|[[Ali al-Hadi|Ali ibn Muhammad]]<br />علي بن محمد<hr>Abu al-Hassan III<br />أبو الحسن الثالث<ref name="Ali al-Hadi in Iranica"/>
|al-Hadi, al-Naqi<ref name="Ali al-Hadi in Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Madelung |first=Wilferd | author-link=Wilferd Madelung | title='ALĪ AL-HĀDĪ | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-08 |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ali-al-hadi-abul-hasan-b}}</ref>
----Onuncu Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
|827–868<ref name="Ali al-Hadi in Iranica"/>
----212–254<ref name="Ali al-Hadi in Iranica"/>
|Strengthened the network of [[Vakil|deputies]] in the Shia community. He sent them instructions, and received in turn financial contributions of the faithful from the [[khums]] and religious vows.<ref name="Ali al-Hadi in Iranica"/>
|Surayya, a village near [[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="Ali al-Hadi in Iranica"/>
|According to Shia sources, he was poisoned in [[Samarra]], [[Iraq]] on the order of Caliph [[Al-Mu'tazz]].<ref>Tabatabae (1979), pp.208–209</ref> Buried in the [[Al Askari Mosque]] in Samarra.
|-
|11
|[[Hasan al-Askari|Hassan ibn Ali]]<br />الحسن بن علي<hr>Abu Muhammad<br />أبو محمد
|al-Askari<ref name="al-Askari in Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Halm |first=H | title='ASKARĪ | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Iranica | access-date=2007-11-08 |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/askari-abu-mohammad-hasan-b}}</ref>
----Onbirinci Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
|846–874<ref name="al-Askari in Iranica"/>
----232–260<ref name="al-Askari in Iranica"/>
|For most of his life, the Abbasid Caliph, [[Al-Mu'tamid]], placed restrictions on him after the death of his father. Repression of the Shi'ite population was particularly high at the time due to their large size and growing power.<ref>Tabatabae (1979)  pp. 209–210</ref>
|[[Medina]], [[Saudi Arabia]]<ref name="al-Askari in Iranica"/>
|According to Shia, he was poisoned on the order of Caliph [[Al-Mu'tamid]] in [[Samarra]], [[Iraq]]. Buried in [[Al Askari Mosque]] in Samarra.<ref>Tabatabae (1979), pp.209–210</ref>
|-
|12
|[[Muhammad al-Mahdi|Muhammad ibn al-Hassan]]<br />محمد بن الحسن<hr>Abu al-Qasim<br />أبو القاسم
|[[Mahdi|al-Mahdi]], Hidden Imam,  al-Hujjah<ref name="al-Hujjah in Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia| title=Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Hujjah | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online | access-date=2007-11-08 |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9054165/Muhammad-al-Mahdi-al-Hujjah}}</ref>
----Onikinci Ali<ref name = "Alevi"/>
|868–unknown<ref name="al-Hujjah">Tabatabae (1979), pp.210–211</ref>
----255–unknown<ref name="al-Hujjah"/>
|According to Twelver doctrine, he is the current imam and the promised [[Mahdi]], a messianic figure who will return with [[Jesus in Islam|Isa]] (Jesus). He will reestablish the rightful governance of Islam and replete the earth with justice and peace.<ref>Tabatabae (1979), pp. 211–214</ref>
|[[Samarra]], [[Iraq]]<ref name="al-Hujjah"/>
|According to Shia doctrine, he has been living in the [[Occultation (Islam)|Occultation]] since 872, which shall continue as long as God wills it.<ref name="al-Hujjah"/>
|-
|}

[[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]], [[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]] 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]]: 776–909, [[Nabhani dynasty]]: 1154–1624, the [[Yaruba dynasty]]: 1624–1742, the [[Al Said]]: 1744–present for further information.<ref>{{cite book|pages=50, 437|last=Miles|first=Samuel Barrett|author-link=Samuel Barrett Miles|title=The Countries and Tribes of the Persian Gulf|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbsOoPpZiSEC&pg=PA50|access-date=2013-11-15|year=1919|publisher=Garnet Pub.|isbn=978-1-873938-56-0}}</ref> The [[Imamate of Futa Jallon]] (1727–1896) was a [[Fula people|Fulani]] state in West Africa where secular power alternated between two lines of hereditary Imams, or ''almami''.<ref>{{cite book|page=365|last1=Holt|first1=P. M.|last2=Holt|first2=Peter Malcolm|last3=Lambton|first3=Ann K. S.|author4=Bernard Lewis|title=The Cambridge History of Islam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y99jTbxNbSAC&pg=PA365|date=1977-04-21|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-29137-8}}</ref> In the [[Zaidiyyah|Zaidi]] [[Shia Islam|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]], [[History of Yemen]], [[Imams of Yemen]]). [[List of Saudi rulers|Saudi leaders]] were also referred to as "Imams", until that term was retired by [[Ibn Saud]] to be replaced by "king".

[[Ruhollah Khomeini]] is officially referred to as Imam in [[Iran]]. Several Iranian places and institutions are named "Imam Khomeini", including a [[Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni|city]], an [[Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport|international airport]], a [[Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex|hospital]], and a [[Imam Khomeini International University|university]].

==Gallery==

=== Imams ===
<gallery>
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]]ic Imams in the [[Mughal Empire]]
File:Карло Боссоли. Татарская школа для детей.jpg|Crimean Tatar imams teach the [[Quran]]. Lithograph by [[Carlo Bossoli]]
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, {{Circa|1906}}
File:Roollah-khomeini.jpg|[[Imam Khomeini]], leader of the [[Iranian Revolution|Iranian revolution]]
File:Mahdist in the Khalifa's house, Omdurman, Sudan.png|An Imam in Omdurman, Sudan
File:Constantinople(1878)-begging dervis.png|An [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] imam in [[Constantinople]]
File:Bosniak imam.jpg|A [[Bosniak]] military imam in the Austro-Hungarian Army
File:Imam ndiawar.JPG|Imam Thierno Ibrahima Thiello
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Ayatollah]]
*[[Imam of Friday Prayer]]
* [[Imamate]]
* [[Mufti]]
* [[Twelver Shia holy days]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== Works cited ==
* {{cite book|last = Corbin|first = Henry|author-link = Henry Corbin|title = History of Islamic Philosophy |translator-first=Liadain |translator-last=Sherrard |translator2-first=Philip |translator2-last=Sherrard |translator2-link=Philip Sherrard |publisher = London; Kegan Paul International in association with Islamic Publications for The Institute of Ismaili Studies |year = 1993 |orig-year=1964 |language=fr |isbn = 0-7103-0416-1}}
* [[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
* {{cite book | title=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]] | publisher=Center for Iranian Studies, Columbia University|  isbn= 1-56859-050-4| date=March 1997}}
* {{cite book | last = Mattar | first = Philip | title = Encyclopedia of the modern Middle East & North Africa | publisher = Macmillan Reference USA | location = Detroit, Mich | year = 2004 | isbn = 9780028657691 }}
* {{cite book | last=Sachedina | first=Abdulaziz Abdulhussein | author-link=Abdulaziz Sachedina | title= The Just Ruler (al-sultān Al-ʻādil) in Shīʻite Islam: The Comprehensive Authority of the Jurist in Imamite Jurisprudence| publisher=Oxford University Press US | year=1988 | isbn=0-19-511915-0}}
* {{cite book | last=Tabatabae | first=Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn |translator-first=Seyyed Hossein |translator-last=Nasr |translator-link=Seyyed Hossein Nasr | author-link=Allameh Tabatabaei | title= Shi'ite Islam
| publisher=SUNY press| year=1979 | isbn=0-87395-272-3}}

== General references ==
* {{cite encyclopedia | last = Martin | first = Richard C. | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia of Islam and the Muslim World | title = Imam |volume= 1: ''Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World: A–L'' | publisher = MacMillan | isbn = 0-02-865604-0| year = 2004 }}
* {{cite book | last=Momen | first=Moojan | title= An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelve| publisher=Yale University Press | year=1985 | isbn=0-300-03531-4}}

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary inline|imam}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Imams}}
* {{Cite NIE|noicon=1|year=1905|wstitle=Imam}}

{{Sufism terminology}}
{{Portal bar|Religion|Islam|Education|Psychology}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Islamic religious leaders]]
[[Category:Religious leadership roles]]
[[Category:Titles of national or ethnic leadership]]
[[Category:Imams| ]]
[[Category:Islamic honorifics]]
[[Category:Imamate]]