often capitalized
1
: the prayer leader of a mosque
2
: a Muslim leader of the line of Ali held by Shiites to be the divinely appointed, sinless, infallible successors of Muhammad
3
: any of various rulers that claim descent from Muhammad and exercise spiritual and temporal leadership over a Muslim region
Examples of imam in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Messages seeking comment left with the Al Quds Committee Detroit and an imam who spoke at the rally were not returned.
—
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 10 Apr. 2024
In Turkey, the main religious authority is Diyanet, a government agency that controls mosques and pays the salaries of their imams.
—Ahmet T. Kuru, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024
The son of an imam who was fatally shot outside his mosque in Newark, New Jersey, has been arrested on a gun violation charge, Essex County prosecutors said.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 30 Jan. 2024
There are important doctrinal differences between mainstream Shiism and Zaidi Islam: mainstream Shiites recognize 12 imams, for instance, while Zaidis recognize only five.
—Alexandra Stark, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2024
And that’s why Shariq Ghani, a Muslim interfaith leader, and Steven Gross, a Reform Jewish rabbi, were among several dozen imams, pastors, rabbis, ministers and others gathered at Ghani’s house in suburban Houston last week at a Ramadan iftar dinner for friends and family.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 have killed more than 100 preachers, including religious scholars, imams, muezzins (those who perform the call to prayer), and hafiz (Muslims who have memorized the Quran), according to the ministry.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
The mosque hired earlier this year a new imam and religious director, Zulfiqar Ali Shah, 60, a former president of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).
—Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024
One of Gambia’s most prominent imams, Abdoulie Fatty, paid the fines of the women who were convicted, saying that the practice was taught by the prophet Muhammad, and then launched a campaign to overturn the ban, leading to Gibba’s bill.
—Ramatoulie Jawo, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 10 Apr. 2024
In Turkey, the main religious authority is Diyanet, a government agency that controls mosques and pays the salaries of their imams.
—Ahmet T. Kuru, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024
The son of an imam who was fatally shot outside his mosque in Newark, New Jersey, has been arrested on a gun violation charge, Essex County prosecutors said.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 30 Jan. 2024
There are important doctrinal differences between mainstream Shiism and Zaidi Islam: mainstream Shiites recognize 12 imams, for instance, while Zaidis recognize only five.
—Alexandra Stark, Foreign Affairs, 11 Jan. 2024
And that’s why Shariq Ghani, a Muslim interfaith leader, and Steven Gross, a Reform Jewish rabbi, were among several dozen imams, pastors, rabbis, ministers and others gathered at Ghani’s house in suburban Houston last week at a Ramadan iftar dinner for friends and family.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2024
Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7 have killed more than 100 preachers, including religious scholars, imams, muezzins (those who perform the call to prayer), and hafiz (Muslims who have memorized the Quran), according to the ministry.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
The mosque hired earlier this year a new imam and religious director, Zulfiqar Ali Shah, 60, a former president of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).
—Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024
One of Gambia’s most prominent imams, Abdoulie Fatty, paid the fines of the women who were convicted, saying that the practice was taught by the prophet Muhammad, and then launched a campaign to overturn the ban, leading to Gibba’s bill.
—Ramatoulie Jawo, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Imam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imam. Accessed 29 Apr. 2024.
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