n.
Head of the Muslim community.
In Sunnite Islam the imam was identical with the caliph , designating the political successor of Muhammad . The Sunnites held the imam to be a man capable of error but deserving obedience provided he maintained the ordinances of Islam. In Sh 012B; ite Islam the imam became a figure of absolute religious authority, possessed of unique insights into the Qur 02BE; 0101; n and divinely appointed and preserved from sin. With the historical disappearance of the last imam, there arose a belief in the hidden imam, who is identified with the mahdi . The term imam is also given to Muslims who lead prayers in mosques and has been used as an honorary title.