• Both Sunni and Shia imams are considered respected leaders.mosque 3 image by Dusan Radivojevic from Fotolia.com
  
  Imams, particularly in Sunni Islam, represent the Prophet Muhammad and serve as spiritual and community leaders. In the mosque, they lead prayers and are responsible for mastering--and preferably memorizing--the Qur'an, as well as the schools of thought related to proper social and religious conduct. In addition, imams work with members of the mosque community regarding their everyday lives and relationships. In general, then, an ideal imam's qualities will likely include intelligence, a sense of duty to God and fellow believers, and, an ability to work with many types of people.
  
  

History

• The office of imam began near the end of Muhammad's life when he was too ill to lead in person. With prayer a central activity of Muslim spiritual life, Muhammad appointed his father-in-law Abu Bakr, someone respected for his knowledge of Islam as well as his moral reputation. After Muhammad's death, violent disagreements about leadership of the Muslim world led to the Sunni-Shia schism which survives to this day. Whereas imams in Shia Islam hold formal positions and receive uniform training, Sunni imams are more informal and less prominent.
  
  

Responsibilities

• An imam's primary responsibility, particularly among Sunnis, is to lead community prayer. Though women cannot lead men in prayer, they may lead other women. Though these leaders occasionally deliver sermons, such messages are more commonly presented by Sheikhs, or elders. Crucially, imams remain available for community members to question regarding Muslim doctrine. For Shias, only 12 true imams have lived (with successive leadership between AD 600 to 868). These men are considered sinless and wielded political as well as religious leadership.
  
  

Characteristics

• According to Abdul Aziz Kamal in his book "Everyday Fiqh," a Sunni imam should be the "best man" in a body of believers regarding "matters of knowledge, righteousness, spirit of sacrifice and insight into religion," as well as someone who holds "leadership qualities to guide them in the practical affairs of life." In other words, he should be a knowledgeable, competent and moral member of the community.
  
  For Shia Muslims, imams also are pillars of morality and strong leadership whose example helps define the contours of Muslim practice. In fact, Shias await the return of the 12th Imam, who they believe will appear with Jesus to bring proper order and justice to the world.