An imam ( , ) is an Islamic leadership position, often the leader of a mosque and the community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads the prayer during Islamic gatherings. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have an Islamic question. In smaller communities an imam could be the community leader based on the community setting.

Shi'a imams

In the Shi'a context, imam has 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 and have a status directly parallel to those of a prophet, infallibility which is called ismah. These leaders must be followed since they are appointed by God.

Twelver

Here follows a list of the Twelvers Imams:

Number	Name (Full/Kunya)	Title (Arabic/Turkish)	Birth–Death (CE/AH)	Importance	Birthplace (present day country)	Place of death and burial
1	Ali ibn Abu Talib علي بن أبي طالب Abu al-Hassan أبو الحسن	Amir al-Mu'minin (Commander of the Faithful) Birinci Ali	600–661 23–40	The first Imam and the rightful successor of the Prophet of all Shia; however, the Sunnis acknowledge him as the fourth Caliph as well. He holds a high position in almost all Sufi Muslim orders (Turuq); the members of these orders trace their lineage to Muhammad through him.	Mecca, Saudi Arabia	Assassinated by Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam, a Kharijite in Kufa, who slashed him with a poisoned sword. Buried at the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq.
2	Hassan ibn Ali الحسن بن علي Abu Muhammad أبو محمد	al-Mujtaba Ikinci Ali	624–680----3–50	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.	Medina, Saudi Arabia	Poisoned by his wife in Medina, Saudi Arabia on the orders of the Caliph Muawiya. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi.
3	Husayn ibn Ali الحسین بن علي Abu Abdillah أبو عبدالله	Sayed al-Shuhada Ūçüncü Ali	626–680----4–61	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.	Medina, Saudi Arabia	Killed and beheaded at the Battle of Karbala. Buried at the Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala, Iraq.
4	Ali ibn al-Hussein علي بن الحسین Abu Muhammad أبو محمد	al-Sajjad, Zain al-Abedin ----Dorduncu Ali	658-9 – 712----38–95	Author of prayers in Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, which is known as "The Psalm of the Household of the Prophet."	Medina, Saudi Arabia	According to most Shia scholars, he was poisoned on the order of Caliph al-Walid I in Medina, Saudi Arabia. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi.
5	Muhammad ibn Ali محمد بن علي Abu Ja'far أبو جعفر	al-Baqir al-Ulum (splitting open knowledge) ----Besinci Ali	677–732----57–114	Sunni and Shia sources both describe him as one of the early and most eminent legal scholars, teaching many students during his tenure.	Medina, Saudi Arabia	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.. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi.
6	Ja'far ibn Muhammad جعفر بن محمد Abu Abdillah أبو عبدالله	al-Sadiq (the Trustworthy) ----Altinci Ali	702–765----83–148	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 Islamic theology, and Geber in science and alchemy.	Medina, Saudi Arabia	According to Shia sources, he was poisoned in Medina, Saudi Arabia on the order of Caliph Al-Mansur.. Buried in Jannat al-Baqi.
7	Musa ibn Ja'far موسی بن جعفر Abu al-Hassan I أبو الحسن الاول	al-Kazim----Yedinci Ali	744–799----128–183	Leader of the Shia community during the schism of Ismaili and other branches after the death of the former Imam, Jafar al-Sadiq. He established the network of agents who collected khums in the Shia community of the Middle East and the Greater Khorasan.	Medina, Saudi Arabia	Imprisoned and poisoned in Baghdad, Iraq on the order of Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Buried in the Kazimayn shrine in Baghdad.
8	Ali ibn Musa علي بن موسی Abu al-Hassan II أبو الحسن الثانی	al-Rida, Reza----Sekizinci Ali	765–817----148–203	Made crown-prince by Caliph Al-Ma'mun, and famous for his discussions with both Muslim and non-Muslim religious scholars.	Medina, Saudi Arabia	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.
9	Muhammad ibn Ali محمد بن علي Abu Ja'far أبو جعفر	al-Taqi, al-Jawad----Dokuzuncu Ali	810–835----195–220	Famous for his generosity and piety in the face of persecution by the Abbasid caliphate.	Medina, Saudi Arabia	Poisoned by his wife, Al-Ma'mun's daughter, in Baghdad, Iraq on the order of Caliph Al-Mu'tasim. Buried in the Kazmain shrine in Baghdad.
10	Ali ibn Muhammad علي بن محمد Abu al-Hassan III أبو الحسن الثالث	al-Hadi, al-Naqi----Onuncu Ali	827–868----212–254	Strengthened the network of deputies in the Shia community. He sent them instructions, and received in turn financial contributions of the faithful from the khums and religious vows.	Surayya, a village near Medina, Saudi Arabia	According to Shia sources, he was poisoned in Samarra, Iraq on the order of Caliph Al-Mu'tazz. Buried in the Al Askari Mosque in Samarra.
11	Hassan ibn Ali ألحسن بن علي Abu Muhammad أبو محمد	al-Askari----Onbirinci Ali	846–874----232–260	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.	Medina, Saudi Arabia	According to Shia, he was poisoned on the order of Caliph Al-Mu'tamid in Samarra, Iraq. Buried in Al Askari Mosque in Samarra.
12	Muhammad ibn al-Hassan محمد بن الحسن Abu al-Qasim أبو القاسم	al-Mahdi, Hidden Imam, al-Hujjah----Onikinci Ali	868–unknown----255–unknown	According to Twelver doctrine, he is the current Imam and the promised Mahdi, a messianic figure who will return with Christ. He will reestablish the rightful governance of Islam and replete the earth with justice and peace.	Samarra, Iraq	According to Shia doctrine, he has been living in the Occultation since 872, and will continue as long as God wills it.

Fatimah, also Fatimah al-Zahraa, daughter of Muhammed (615–632), is also considered infallible but not an Imam. Many Shi'a believe that the last Imam will one day return.

See Imamah for Ismaili list of Imams

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. 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.

The Sunni sect does not have imams in the same sense as 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.

However, there are some people whom Sunnis call "Imams" who are not prayer leaders. They are not Imams in the Shi'a sense of the word, but they are those who started the four Sunni Madhabs.List:

Madhhab	Aqidah	Science of hadith
Imam Abu Hanifa	Imam al-Ashari	Imam Bukhari
Imam Malik	Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi	Imam Abu Dawood
Imam Shafi'i		Imam Fakhr al-Razi
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Imam Abu Dawood

Zaidi imams as rulers of Yemen

In the Zaidi Shiite sect, Imams were temporal as well as spiritual leaders who held power in Yemen for more than a thousand years. In 897, a Zaidi ruler, Yahya al-Hadi ila'l Haqq, founded a line of such Imams, a theocratic form of government which survived until the second half of the 20th century. (See details under Zaidi, History of Yemen.)

See also

• Shia Imam
• Women as imams
• Mullah

Footnotes

References

External links

• A brief introduction of Twelve Imams
• A Brief History Of The Lives Of The Twelve Imams a chapter of Shi'a Islam by Allameh Tabatabaei
• The Twelve Imams Taken From "A Shi'ite Anthology" By Allameh Tabatabaei
• A Short History of the Lives of The Twelve Imams
• Detailed description of the Shiite belief
• List of Sunni Imams