der Imam
imam
In Islam, the prayer leader who leads communal prayer in a mosque.
EXAMPLE
Der Imam rief die Gläubigen zum Freitagsgebet.
The imam called the believers to Friday prayer.
der Imam
imam
der Imam, die Imame
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Meanings
der Imam
imam
In Shia Islam, the sinless leader of the Islamic community appointed by God and the successor of the Prophet Muhammad.
EXAMPLE
Für die Schiiten ist Ali der erste Imam nach dem Propheten.
For Shiites, Ali is the first imam after the Prophet.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Imam, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Imame |
| genitive | des Imam |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Imam | die Imame die Imams |
| accusative | den Imam | die Imame die Imams |
| dative | dem Imam | den Imamen den Imams |
| genitive | des Imam des Imams | der Imame der Imams |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Context clue
The meaning of the word depends strongly on the Islamic denomination. In the context of Sunni Islam, the imam is the leader of communal prayer. In a Shia context, the imam refers to a historical leader of the community appointed by God.
EXAMPLE
In unserer Moschee leitet ein junger Imam das Freitagsgebet.
In our mosque, a young imam leads the Friday prayer.
Use in a sentence
'Der Imam' (the imam) is a masculine noun. It is used and declined in sentences like other masculine terms for people. The word comes from Arabic.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben den Imam nach seiner Meinung gefragt.
We asked the imam for his opinion.
Typical collocations
When the prayer leader is meant, 'Imam' (imam) often appears with words that describe his function. Typical phrases are 'das Gebet leiten' (to lead the prayer), 'in der Moschee predigen' (to preach in the mosque), or 'zum Gebet rufen' (to call to prayer).
EXAMPLE
Der Imam leitet fünfmal am Tag das Gebet.
The imam leads the prayer five times a day.
In real life
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