Institution

Imam

An imam is a Muslim religious leader, ranging from the leader of congregational prayer to, in Shia Islam, the divinely guided head of the community. The Fatimid caliphs claimed to be imams in the Ismaili sense. In the Adal Sultanate, Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim held the title while leading the wars against Ethiopia.

Imam
Image: Nasreddine Dinet · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 9 profiles

Adal SultanateSocioeconomy, Military, GovernanceEthiopian EmpireMilitaryFatimid CaliphateFoundation, ImpactIlkhanateFoundationCircassiaMilitary, GovernanceQajar IranImpactAjuran SultanateGovernanceBahá'í FaithOriginsIslamBeliefs, Texts, Community

Mentioned in 30 state histories

Banu Ifran emirateIbadi Imamate of HadramawtFirst Ibadi Imamate of OmanIbadi Imamate of TripolitaniaRustamid imamateIdrisid dynastyYufirid dynastyZaydi Imamate of YemenNizari Ismaili stateHamdanid sultanate of YemenSecond Taifa of MértolaNabhani dynastyand 18 more

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Imam. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/imam
MLA
“Imam.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/imam. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Imam.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/imam.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Imam’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/imam (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻