Imam, a title of respect, in its simplest sense means the one who leads. It is used for giants of scholarship (Imam Shafi ‘i, d. 204/820) or those considered specially qualifi ed religious authorities, as with the Shi‘i line of Imams to whom rightful rulership of the Muslim community is held to belong. Most frequently, it refers to the person who leads others in prayer. In congregational prayer, one person leads the others. Selection criteria for imams include knowledge of Qur’an, awareness of the elements of ritual prayer, and piety. It is generally agreed that a man may lead a congregation comprising men, a mixed congregation, or a congregation comprising women. Most scholars have held that a woman can lead an entirely female congregation in prayer but cannot under any circumstances lead men. A few have held that a group solely comprising women cannot pray in congregation but only individually, since a woman cannot serve as imam.
At the other end of the spectrum, a small number of jurists have held that a woman may lead a male or mixed group in prayer, particularly during non- obligatory prayers such as the customary devotional evening prayers (tarawih) in Ramadan. The issue of who can be an imam is complicated in minority modern Muslim communities by new expectations associated with the role. In the United States, for instance, the imam of a mosque has functions well beyond those of leading prayers and delivering Friday sermons or khutbahs. He may be called upon to engage in interfaith dialogue, to mediate family disputes, to serve as an expert witness in court cases involving Muslims, and to oversee other programming at a mosque or Islamic center. Indeed the “congregational” model which characterizes many North American Muslim communities, with membership dues and elected boards of directors, is a departure from the way mosques function in majority- Muslim societies.
Some Muslim leaders such as Ingrid Mattson, a professor elected to be the first female president of the Islamic Society of North America in 2006, have suggested the need for increased professional training to prepare imams for these new responsibilities. Mattson and others have called for increased dialogue and refl ection on which of these roles—apart from leadership of mixed- sex prayer—can be filled by women. Women as well as men are trained in the Hartford Seminary’s unique Muslim chaplaincy program, which Mattson heads. These issues of gender and religious authority are not unique to the United States. In the early years of the twenty- first century, Morocco trained a group of female scholars and religious leaders. These women were originally to be called imams, but controversy forced selection of a new title: mourshidat, or “guides.”
Submission, the Essence of Islam: Transcendent Understanding of Religion Beyond Sectarianism
