IMAM

IMAM. - Arabic term, from the root 'mm (“to proceed toward a place,” “to march at the head”), meaning “guide,” antistes. In Islam, it designates: 1) the one who stands before the faithful in prayer and serves as a model for their movements; 2) the head of the community (who originally also performed the preceding function). For the Sunnis, this head is the caliph, whose qualifications and prerogatives V. CALIFFO E CALIFATO. The conception of the i. underwent particular development among the šī'iti: he must belong to the family of Maometto; divinity assists him (šī'iti moderati), or is immanent in him as a particle of light (šī'iti medi), or indeed identifies itself with him (šī'iti estremi). On this V. ISLAM, le sette. The term i. may moreover be applied to any leader, and has been used especially for the founders of the four orthodox legal rites.