Using Personal
Titles
#12:
Islamic
ReligiousTitles
Islam, a
major religion with believers
throughout the world,
also uses special titles. Because these titles
are generally
in
Arabic (or, sometimes, in Persian), most are
not
well-known
in the
English-speaking world. Here are a few that are either
well-known
or becoming more commonly used:
| title |
|
use with: |
Imam--one who
leads
public prayers in a
masjid (mosque) |
|
a full
name |
| |
|
|
Sheikh--a
religious
leader; a wise person |
|
a full name |
| |
|
|
Hafiz--someone
who
has memorized all of
the Koran (the Muslim
holy
book) |
|
a full
name |
| |
|
|
Mullah--someone who
is very
knowledgeable
about Islamic religious
law |
|
a full name |
| |
|
|
Sayid--someone
who is
a direct descendent of
the Prophet Mohammed |
|
a full name |
_________________________________________
Special Note:
There are various subgroups within Islam
(Sunni, Shiite,
Ismaili, Wahabi, etc.) and these groups often
have
special
titles (such as
Ayatollah--a Shiite religious
leader) that
are not generally used by other Islamic
groups.
| 
