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Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology & the Ancient World
Brown University
Box 1837 / 60 George Street
Providence, RI 02912
Telephone: (401) 863-3188
Fax: (401) 863-9423
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Posted at Dec 01/2010 06:02PM:
Ian B: The Imam is the spiritual leader who leads Islamic services and is the leader of a mosque. Sunni Imams are scholars while Shi’a Imams are considered leaders of the community and are expected to live lives without sin (ismah).
Posted at Dec 06/2010 03:16PM:
ian: The imamate became a major distinction them between these two groups in that these were infallible in their pronouncements for the Shii community and thus virtually at the level of scriptural sources. We see something very interesting happen with the Fatimids in this regard.
Posted at Dec 06/2010 03:16PM:
ian: What is it?
Posted at Dec 12/2010 09:59PM:
Kathryn: The leaders of the Fatimid dynasty were Ismaili imams- i.e. descended from Ali (since Ismailis believe that the imamate can only pass through bloodline succession). Therefore the Fatimid Caliphate is interesting in that the religious authority of the imam and the political authority of the caliph were united in one ruler.