IMAAM

Imaam means a leader. The person, who leads the Musalli in the Farz Salah, is called an Imaam. Similarly, a person, who leads a country, is called an Imaam.

When the title of Imaam is given to personalities such as Imaam Abu Hanifah (Rahmatullahi Alayh), Imaam Malik (Rahmatullahi Alayh), Imaam Shaa’fi’i (Rahmatullahi Alayh), Imaam Ahmad (Rahmatullahi Alayh) and Imaam Bukhari (Rahmatullahi Alayh), etc. it does not mean that they were working as Imaam in a certain Masjid as many of us may tend to believe. It is this false impression that often makes us not give them the respect, esteem and value that they deserve. This is because an Imaam in this context means a person who has the skill, capacity and aptitude at a very advanced degree and stage in a particular field. These great people are called Imaam as they had an extraordinary talent / aptitude from Allah Ta’ala to understand, analyse and interpret Deen.

[English version of "Imaam" – Al Jamiat – Vol.1 No.5]