or Iman, a minister in the Mahometan church, answering to a parish priest among us. The word properly signifies what we call a prelate, antipope, one who presides over others; but the Mussulmen frequently apply it to a person who has the care and tendency of a mosque, who is always there at first, and reads prayers to the people, which they repeat after him.

IMAM is also applied, by way of excellence, to the four chiefs or founders of the four principal sects in the Mahometan religion. Thus Ali is the imam of the Persian, or of the sect of the Schiites; Abu-beker the imam of the Sunnites, which is the sect followed by the Turks; Saphii, or Safi-y, the imam of another sect, &c.

The Mahometans do not agree among themselves about this imamate or dignity of the imam. Some think it of divine right, and attached to a single family, as the pontificate of Aaron.—Others hold, that it is indeed of divine right, but deny it to be so attached to any single family, as that it may not be transferred to another. They add, that the imam is to be clear of all gross sins; and that otherwise he may be deposed, and his dignity may be conferred on another. However this be, it is certain, that after an imam has once been owned as such by the Mussulmen, he who denies that his authority comes immediately from God is accounted impious; he who does not obey him is a rebel; and he who pretends to contradict what he says is esteemed a fool, among the orthodox of that religion. The Imams have no outward mark of distinction; their habit is the same with that of the Turks in common, except that the turban is a little larger, and folded somewhat differently.