Please tell me the difference between

Society Religion & Philosophy
1

What is the definition of and difference between
Mufti
Ulema
Mullah
Maulana
Aalim
Imam

if i am missing someone then please feel free to add.

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Re: Please tell me the difference between

i hope that will help u

3

Re: Please tell me the difference between

muje to sab same lagta hai

4

Re: Please tell me the difference between

thanks for the reply. actually i am more confused now.
are you saying that all of them are same?

I thought a mullah or maulana is the person incharge of a mosque. like a priest in a temple or a church.

5

Re: Please tell me the difference between

Molvi = Mullah = Mulana were use for a person of certain education level in Indo-pak ( until the image was thrashed by some bad guys)

Aalim Singular = Ulema Plural = a person have certain level of education/knowledge on certain subject, e.g. one can have command on hadith, shall be called Aalim-e-Hadith, Some have command on Mathematics, shall be called Aalim-e-Riyadiath

Islam does not and do not support the concept of priest kind of person occupying the mosque... it is self proclaimed status came into Islam, impressed by Hinduism... yes govt. or board of trustees can appoint a person to lead prayers in the mosque...

And Allah knows the best

6

Re: Please tell me the difference between

^ ^ Thanks for presenting the alternate meanings as well.
In the islamic context which i was talking about here is what i get from yours (and others) explanation.

A Molvi = mullah = maulana => the person who has islamic education and is the prayer leader and caretaker of a mosque.
Alim (singular) or Ulema (plural) = > the person who has deep islamic knowledge but is not a molvi.

Is Imam is synonyms of molvi?

and where does mufti stands in all this. KKF explained that a mufti gives fatwa. so is a mufti same as molvi? because so far i have seen molvis giving fatwas.

Thanks again for your replies

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Re: Please tell me the difference between

that is interesting. i had no clue about it. Do you mean mullah ( i.e. caretaker and prayer leader in a mosque) is a south asian thing?
also what is a usual norm in a non south asian muslim countries. who leads a prayer. is he the same person everyday?
thanks in advance

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Re: Please tell me the difference between

Web definations of the above are as under:

Mufti:

  • *a jurist who interprets Muslim religious law *
  • civilian dress worn by a person who is entitled to wear a military uniform
  • A mufti (مفتي, '', Turkish: müftü'') is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law (Sharia). In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population. A muftiat or diyanet is a council of muftis.
  • Mufti, or civies/civvies (slang for "civilian attire"), refers to ordinary clothes, especially when worn by one who normally wears, or has long worn, a military or other uniform.
  • (Islam) A Muslim scholar and interpreter of shari’a law, who can deliver a fatwa; (British) Civilian dress when worn by a member of the military, or casual dress when worn by a pupil of a school who normally would wear uniform
  • A Muslim theologist.
  • a Muslim scholar who interprets Islamic law.
  • India Civilian (native) clothes.
  • Religious jurist who issues judgments and opinions on Islamic law and precedent.
  • a person who writes a fatwa
  • an expert in the Shari'ah who gives legal judgments called fatwas. Usually one mufti in a given geographic area is called the Grand Mufti.
  • (interpreter)
  • A Muslim legal expert who is empowered to give rulings on religious matters.
  • muftis - The Turkish "interpreters" of the Koran. From the same verb muftis comes, also miftah, "a key".

Ulema/Ulama

  • ulema: the body of Mullahs (Muslim scholars trained in Islam and Islamic law) who are the interpreters of Islam's sciences and doctrines and laws and the chief guarantors of continuity in the spiritual and intellectual history of the Islamic community
  • Ulema (Arabic علماء, , singular: عالِم, , "scholar") refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law.
  • Ulama is a ball game played in a few communities in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Descended from the Aztec version of the Mesoamerican ballgame, the game is one of the oldest continuously-played sports in the world, and is also notable for the fact that it is the oldest known game utilizing
  • The highest class of religious leaders in Islam; skilled in Islamic law
  • (Arabic) The transnational community of the learned in Islam, derived from Arabic 'alim, “one who possesses knowledge.“
  • the learned, knowledgeble people in Islam. Plural form of alim.
  • (lit., "scholars"): a generic term for clerical authorities and jurists in Sunni and Shia Islam.
  • Orthodox religious scholars within Islam; pressed for a more conservative and restrictive theology; increasingly opposed to non-Islamic ideas and scientific thinking.

Mullah

  • a Muslim trained in the doctrine and law of Islam; the head of a mosque
  • Mullah ({ ملا}, Judeo-Persian/Bukhori: מולא) is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word mawla, meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian". ...
  • A Muslim religious scholar and teacher
  • a Muslim cleric.
  • The definition can vary regionally. For Afghanistan, Ahmed Rashid's Taliban defines it as the traditional prayer leader at a local mosque.
  • Generic term for a member of the Islamic clergy; usually refers to a preacher or other low-ranking cleric who has not earned the right to interpret religious laws.
  • India/Middle East/North Afica A Muslim teacher or reader of the Koran, and traditionally an expert on Islamic law.
  • A learned leader, especially in Iran.
  • mullahs - Religious leaders in Iran who led a movement of opposition against the shah and denounced the depravity of American materialism and secularism.
  • mullahs - Local mosque officials and prayer leaders within the Safavid Empire; agents of Safavid religious campaign to convert all of population to Shi'ism. (p. 624)
  • Member of the ulama, an âlim (singular for ulama). A man recognized by Muslims as having a religious education and as an authority on the Koran and Islamic law (the Sharia). Has been described as similar in ways to a rabbi in Judaism.
  • Mohammad Rabbani (1955/1956 - April 21, 2001) was one of the main founders of the Taliban movement.

Maulana

  • Maulana (Arabic script مولانا, alternative transcription mawlānā) is an Arabic word literally meaning "our lord" or "our master" (defined in the Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic as "a form of address to a sovereign").
  • In central Asia, a religious scholar
  • 1993. Introduction to Black Studies, 2nd edition.

Aalim/Scholar

  • Ulema (Arabic علماء, , singular: عالِم, , "scholar") refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law. ...
  • An educated scholar of Islamic law; a member of the ulema class
  • a learned person in Islam, scholar.
  • (plural, Ulama) - A scholar of Islam who is well-versed in the Qur'an. This term is derived from the word 'ilm, meaning "knowledge", usually of a religious or spiritual nature.
  • pl. ulama): a Muslim religious scholar.
  • God is omniscient.

Imam

  • (Islam) the man who leads prayers in a mosque; for Shiites an imam is a recognized authority on Islamic theology and law and a spiritual guide
  • An imam (إمام plural ائمة A'immah, ) is an Islamic leadership position, often the leader of a mosque and the community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads the prayer during Islamic gatherings. ...
  • A Shiite Muslim leader; One who leads the salat prayers in a Mosque
  • İmamlı (also, Imamly) is a village and municipality in the Qabala Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 373.
  • Imāms - Imāmah (اٍمامة) means "leadership" and it is a part of the Shi'a theology. The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, in the Twelver or Ithna Ashariya branch of Shia Islam. ...
  • (Arabic)- leader of the congregational prayer (salat) which the Muslims offer five times a day. It is sometimes used to refer to the head of an Islamic State.
  • a Muslim spiritual and temporal leader; a Muslim scholar.
  • Shiite Muslims use imam for Muhammad's descendants, whom they believe to be the true rulers of Islam. For Sunni Muslims, imam means "prayer leader."
  • A word used in several senses. In general use and lower-cased, it means the leader of congregational prayers; as such it implies no ordination or special spiritual powers beyond sufficient education to carry out this function. ...
  • Religious leader.
  • a religious leader. In Sunni Islam, the person who leads prayers in the mosque. In Shi'ite Islam, the direct-line successor to Muhammad via his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Ali (in which case it is capitalized). (see Shi'ism)
  • Prayer leader; a respected Islamic theological sage.
  • Principal meaning for Twelver Shi'is is as designation of one of twelve legitimate successors of the Prophet Muhammad. Also used to designate the religious leader of a community, or simply a prayer leader.
  • Person who leads communal prayers and/or delivers the sermon on Fridays.
  • princesssultanascircle.com/glossary.htm
  • In both Sunni and Shi'a Islam this the leader of congregational prayers who may also deliver the Friday prayer (Jum'a) sermon; more generally, a person of authority within the community.
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Re: Please tell me the difference between

The Practice is different, in some countries, govt appoint ( through Auqaaf) prayer leaders and khateeb and issue the Khutba of Juma as well..

Some countries/societies have regional communities who appoint such persons... they can be either the member of the community who are pious and are able to lead the prayers...

In Pakistan, the mosques are build by these mullas, if you have ever noticed, first they occupy land ( seldom they buy it) and then start a mosque by a have a half built room and then starts the chanda-muhim, where they collect money to built it.. then this mosque literally belongs to him and he stand there as the master of the house... i have yet to see this practice in other countries...