Imam

(noun)

An Islamic leadership position, most commonly in the context of a worship leader of a mosque and Sunni Muslim community.

Related Terms

Examples of Imam in the following topics:

  • Architecture of Djenne

    • The imam conducts the prayers from the mihrab in the larger central tower.
    • To the right of the mihrab in the central tower is a second niche, the pulpit or minbar, from which the imam preaches his Friday sermon.

  • Safavid Dynasty

    • Isfahan, the capital of both the Seljuk and Safavid dynasties, bears the most prominent samples of the Safavid architecture, such as the the Imperial Mosque, Masjid-e Shah, the Imam Mosque, the Lutfallah Mosque, and the Royal Palace, which were all constructed in the years after Shah Abbas I permanently moved the capital there in 1598.

  • Spread of Islam

    • Conversion to Islam was boosted by missionary activities, particularly those of Imams, who easily intermingled with local populace to propagate religious teachings.

  • The Abbasid Empire

    • By the 920s, a Shi'a sect that only recognized the first five Imams and could trace its roots to Muhammad's daughter Fatima, took control of Idrisi and then Aghlabid domains.

  • Ethiopia and Eritrea

    • Between 1528 and 1540, armies of Muslims, under the Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, entered Ethiopia from the low country to the south-east and overran the Abyssinian Kingdom, obliging the Emperor to take refuge in the mountains.