Community of Faith: Imam  The word imam means “in the front”.  An imam (can be married or single) leads the community of faith and is typically male.  Can women be imams?  Although no verse in Quran directly addresses the issue, there is a great deal of dispute and ongoing conversation as to the specific role of women in Islam.

The Role of the Imam  1.) Leads congregational prayer at the mosque.  2.) The Imam will preach the sermon (Khutbah) at Jummah (Friday) prayers at the mosque. This sermon is truly what brings the community together. The sermon will deal with local community issues.  3.) An imam will often attend conferences and symposiums offered by Islamic scholars to improve their training and knowledge of Islamic issues.

The Role of the Imam  4.) The imam will be available for spiritual counselling.  5.) They witness and officiate (the exchange of consent and commitment) at marriages.  6.) They often have a management role in the Islamic school connected to the mosque, and sometimes can be considered the caretaker of the mosque.

Muslim Sects Who succeeds Muhammad? Sunni  Supporters of Abu Bakr (who was a close friend and Companion of the Prophet- but not a blood relative)  The next caliph (successor) should be the best individual- they don’t have to be related to the prophet. Shiah  Supporters of Ali (The prophet’s cousin and son-in-law- a blood relative of the Prophet.  Caliphs (successors) should be chosen based on blood /family lines.  Ali was publicly acknowledged by Muhammad to replace him.

Profile: The Caliphs  Read Pages Make a summary note of the chart of the “4 Rightly-Guided Caliphs”  Using Page #346: Make a summary note of the 2 major sects: Sunni and Shiah.  You can make a note about sufis as well… but this is not a distinct separate group… it is more of a mystical philosophical Islamic lifestyle.