Imam

See also: imam and imám

German

Etymology

From Arabic إمام‎ (ʾimām).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /iˈmaːm/

Noun

Imam m (genitive Imams or Imam, plural Imame or Imams)

  1. (Islam, all sects) anyone who leads a group of Muslims in prayer
  2. (Sunni Islam) imam; a trained cleric who leads a congregation
  3. (Shia Islam) imam; Imam; a politico-religious leader inaugurated by God
    1. (Twelver Shiism) one of twelve individuals, descendants of Muhammad living in the 7th to 9th centuries CE, who are believed to have been sinless and infallible
    2. (other Shiism) one of a per se unlimited line of leaders, who must be descendants of Muhammad but are not necessarily ascribed superhuman qualities

Usage notes
  • The alternative plural Imams is widely obsolete in Germany but may still see some usage in Switzerland and elsewhere.

Declension
Declension of Imam
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Imam die Imame
genitive eines des Imams der Imame
dative einem dem Imam den Imamen
accusative einen den Imam die Imame
Declension of Imam
singular plural
indef. def. noun def. noun
nominative ein der Imam die Imams
genitive eines des Imams der Imams
dative einem dem Imam den Imams
accusative einen den Imam die Imams
  • Imamat
  • Imamit

Further reading
  • Imam in Duden online
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.