I have heard of the following terms associated with Islam. Could you please explain the differences and job roles of each one.
Are they in a particular order as to how knowledgeable one is in Islam?
Are they all affiliated with Islam or are some self-given names?
Not sure if I have missed any out..if so could you please include them.
- Maulana
- Mullah
- Hafiz
- Maulvi
- Imam
- Sheikh
- Peer Sahib
- Awliya / Wali Allah
- Sufi Sahib
- Ameer Sahib
- Ayatollah
- Chisti
- Fakir
- Qari
- Mufti
Thank you.
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Submitted by zara_2k on 6 November 2007 - 10:31pm.
Anonymous | 29 August 2008 - 5:43pm
* Maulana
is the a title given to an Aalim out of respect, it means "our leader"
* Mullah
A variation of the above
* Hafiz
A person who has committed to memory the entire Quran.
* Maulvi
An indo-pak term for an Aalim, although used today by people to mean Aalim's who eat a lot!
* Imam
The person leading Salah
* Sheikh
An Arab term of respect, similar to Maulana, can also be used for old people.
* Peer Sahib
An indo-pak term to describe a spiritual leader
* Awliya / Wali Allah
A term to describe a very pious man. A person who has a real connection with Allah.
* Sufi Sahib
An indo-pak term of respect, loosely used for a person with a beard
* Ameer Sahib
A respectful term used for the leader of a group, for example when traveling.
* Ayatollah
Used for a religious leader in Iran, popular amongst the Shia community.
* Chisti
A branch of Sufi-ism. There are four popular one's, Chisti, Naqshbandi, Qadri and Soharwardi.
* Fakir
Not sure
* Qari
A person who knows the rules of recitation of the Quran (tajweed), and can apply them. He can correctly pronounce each and every letter ccording to it's rules
* Mufti
A person who has the authority to give a FATWA, a special ruling that caters to a specific problem.
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