A teacher & prayer leader of a mosque.
The word
imam is an
Arabic work that means “leader.” Depending on the usage of the word and whether or not it is written
with a capital “I”, the word can hold many different meanings and connotations.
An
imam could also be a Muslim leader of the line of Ali held by Shiites to be the divinely appointed,
sinless,
infallible successors of Muhammad or any of various rulers that claim descent from Muhammad and exercise spiritual and temporal leadership over a Muslim region.