The role and function of an Imam in a Sunni Mosque
The word Imam is an Arabic word which means 'Upfront'. As with many ancient words relating with faith the word carries a great deal of meaning and, depending of usage in text as well as speech, can take on numerous different meanings.
In Sunni Islam the term Imam is used principally as a title and has minimal importance in theology. The congregational prayer performed in Mosque is lead by the Imam who stands in front of the lines of worship leading them in recital of prayer. The meaning of the word Imam is related to this role.
In the standard interpretation being Imam is not a profession nor is it a qualification. The Imam is only Imam as long as he is leading prayer. He is not ordained as a holy man and should treated like any other member of the Muslim community. There are no priests or monks in Islam, all Muslims are regarded as equal.
Any respected Muslim who is normally well-trained in leading prayer, As Salat, can be an imam. In general, it is the person with the most knowledge of Islam, pious, has the ability to recite the Qur?an properly and is the most respected and learned person in the assembly who is offered the honour of being Imam. Some Imams are specially trained at Islamic colleges called Dar-al-uloom, where students follow a seven year course in Arabic and Islamic Studies. Often the imam will have an advanced education, and will be very knowledgeable about Sharia , the Islamic law set down in the Qur?an and further writings. This helps the imam who works in a pastoral capacity to counsel members of the mosque.
The congregation, in mosque prayer, must follow...
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...mam is only human and no different than any other member of the congregation.
Many people are misinterpreted about the role and function of the Imam, they believe that his job is primarily to carry out the task of leading the congregation to prayer which is a very significant and important task yet the Imam does much more The Imam is often relied on by the community for advice and guidance when needed. However of course the Imam doesn?t have all of the answers which is why he often refers to The Qur?an, The Hadith or The Sunnah.
An Imam is not just a village hafiz , they have to deal with immigration and visa problems, marriage problems, all sorts of counselling and reconciliation, visiting of hospitals and prisons, education , organise social programmes, dawah programmes and much more. He is thought of as a pillar of the community
The dictionary definition of an abbot is a man who is in charge of all the monks in a abbey. Although this is a very simple definition it does not fully give us the meaning of what abbots have to do in order to serve their god and people. We could compare them to a government official in todays time. They are not the president or a simple citizen, but they do hold a vast amount of power in which they can control the people and the president at times.
...se they do carry a great responsibility to care for others. As the author declares it, they are the ones who keep watch over the souls of the believers in the faith community, exercise leadership in light of the final Day and will give an account to the Lord for their shepherding. Also, they will be unprofitable, if they do not do it with the joy of the Lord. Rhee as well as the author of this article wants us to see the full responsibility of a leader over a faith community and the qualities he or she must carry in order to lead others to Christ and to the final day of our Lord’s return.
Although he is a very powerful and impactful man, the people of the village are intimidated by him and must act very proper and formal when around him. To the people, he is “not a person, but an institution” (Pg. 90). The Imam is a very strict man and he always wants the people to pray. He even chastises the villagers for not being more traditional in their practices. He represented the orthodox practice of Islam because of the importance he places on society and the historical aspect of the religion.
They stated that the appointment of the imam is the duty and responsibility of God
What is Islam, and where did it come from? What is this religion all about? Islam is not the new kid on the block in regards to religion. Islam is in fact an old, ancient religion. It is not that unlike of the Christian faith either; in fact, Islamic beliefs are in the Torah, which is Jewish, and also in the bible, which is Christian. The book that Islam goes by is called the Qur’an, which is the story of the Muslim Prophet Mohammad, Who is the founder of the Islamic faith and is believed to be the last of the prophets of God. Practitioners of Islam are referred to as Muslims, and their place of worship is a mosque, which is similar to the Christians place of worship which is the church. These days Islam has become a very common and widely practiced religion throughout the world. Islam has become very misunderstood, especially within western culture. Today, many Americans and Europeans see Islam as a serious threat to their way of life. Though there have been some very serious and unfortunate events in the news that have transpired to fuel this misunderstanding,
Muslims believe Muhammed to be the last prophet, told by God in the early 600s to spread Islam. Starting from his small hometown in Mecca, Muhammed eventually succeeded in popularizing Islam throughout the whole Arabian Peninsula. Muslims believe that he was chosen by God because he represented the simple traditional values of life that all humans should follow. Muhammed was a persuasive religious leader because of his family, his beliefs of equality with women, and his relationship with God.
The Shia branch of the Muslim religion only accounts for about 15% of the total population of Muslims in the world. Shiism has the most influence in the contemporary world especially in Iran where the population is nearly 90% Muslim. The Shias revere a succession of Scholars known as Imams. The Imam has been regarded as both the political and spiritual leader. Although the two branches agree on many of the doctrinal and ritual matters, the Shia holds the Imams and saints in very high regard. The ones ...
In every religion there is always a teacher, a guide, a person who is sent by their God to lead them to their faith and God. These people are now considered to be truly holy to their faith and recognized as saviors. Many of these saviors left another person in charge so that they can continue the teachings of these saviors. For this essay religious figures will be discussed for three religions such as Catholicism, Buddhism and Islamic.
...priesthood consisting of men with such titles as Ayatullah, Mullah, and Hojatulislam. (The late Ayatullah Khomeini, who participated in the Iranian Revolution in 1978, achieved the highest rank in the eyes of the worldwide Shi’a community and was considered infallible.) The Shi’a differ with the majority Sunnis on many issues related to leadership, doctrine, practice, and scriptural selection. (By way of contrast, Sunnis have no priesthood or identifiable religious structure.) Competing Shi’a and Sunni political factions have struggled for power all throughout Muslim history. While some Shi’a dynasties were formed, most notably the Fatimid dynasty of Egypt (910–1171), it has pretty much been a Sunni party for most of Muslim history. Today there is only one Shi’a-dominated country, Iran, with significant Shi’a minorities found in Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and India
In the Islamic faith there are five pillars that they must follow to their best ability. The Salaht, the Hajj, they must give to the poor, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and repetition of the creed, "There is no God but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." These pillars are more like obligations in the Islamic religion.
There are lots of definitions and interpretations for the term LEADERSHIP. One is “A relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people” (Mullins, L.J. 2002, Management and Organisational Behaviour, 6th Edition, FT Publishing, p904). Another popular definition would be, “the process of influencing an organization or groups within an organization in its efforts towards achieving a goal” (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2005, Exploring Corporate Strategy, 7th Edition, FT Prentice Hall, p.519)
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When you become a Muslim,you believe salvation is dependent on man, not God. There are five pillars of Islam, these five pillars are the Muslims acts of worship to Allah. Allah means God. The five pillars of Islam are
Bishops are at the top of the hierarchy and join in the full priesthood of God. They have the power to ordain deacons, priests, and other bishops. They are members of a college of bishops, with the Bishop of Rome at its head. The normal role of a bishop is to head a diocese.
The first deals with Caring, within this function a leader should look to see if he is restoring, feeding, watering, grooming, shearing, delivering labs, leading, and protecting the flock. The second are is through courage in this the leader should assume responsibility, serving, and participating in change for the congregation. The final is through being a guide, in this the leader will help make decisions and action regarding the future of the Body of Christ. Thomas, explains that by fulfilling these different areas as a leader, a person can begin to live up to the mission of God also known as the Mission