Transcript 4 Community of Faith-Muslim Sects

Community of Faith: Imam
 The word imam means “in the front”.
 An imam (can be married or single) leads
the community of faith and is typically
male.
 Can women be imams?
 Although no verse in Quran directly
addresses the issue, there is a great deal
of dispute and ongoing conversation as to
the specific role of women in Islam.
The Role of the Imam
 1.) Leads congregational prayer at the mosque.
 2.) The Imam will preach the sermon (Khutbah)
at Jummah (Friday) prayers at the mosque. This
sermon is truly what brings the community
together. The sermon will deal with local
community issues.
 3.) An imam will often attend conferences and
symposiums offered by Islamic scholars to
improve their training and knowledge of Islamic
issues.
The Role of the Imam
 4.) The imam will be available for spiritual
counselling.
 5.) They witness and officiate (the
exchange of consent and commitment) at
marriages.
 6.) They often have a management role in
the Islamic school connected to the
mosque, and sometimes can be
considered the caretaker of the mosque.
Muslim Sects
Who succeeds Muhammad?
Sunni
 Supporters of Abu Bakr
(who was a close friend
and Companion of the
Prophet- but not a blood
relative)
 The next caliph
(successor) should be
the best individual- they
don’t have to be related
to the prophet.
Shiah
 Supporters of Ali (The
prophet’s cousin and
son-in-law- a blood
relative of the Prophet.
 Caliphs (successors)
should be chosen based
on blood /family lines.
 Ali was publicly
acknowledged by
Muhammad to replace
him.
Profile: The Caliphs
 Read Pages 327-328. Make a summary
note of the chart of the “4 Rightly-Guided
Caliphs”
 Using Page #346: Make a summary note
of the 2 major sects: Sunni and Shiah.
 You can make a note about sufis as well…
but this is not a distinct separate group…
it is more of a mystical philosophical
Islamic lifestyle.