The word · Worship

إِمام

Imam

The person who leads the prayer, standing in front while the rows follow his movements.

Also written · Imaam · Emam · Imom · prayer leader · Immam · Imamah · Imamate

The meaning

What Imam means in Islam

The word means one who is in front. The Prophet said the person who leads should be the one who knows most Qur'an, then the most learned in the sunnah. Any competent adult man can lead; it is not a clerical office or a job title, and most mosques employ one only for convenience. In wider usage imam also names a great scholar, as in Imam Malik, and in Shia Islam it carries a specific and much larger meaning.

Evidence · Sunnah · Established in the authentic Sunnah