An imam leads the prayer, an ustadh teaches, a sheikh is a respected elder or senior scholar, and a mufti is a scholar trained to give fatwas. None of them is a priest: Islam has no clergy that stands between a person and Allah.
The term
These four words are titles of respect for people of knowledge. They overlap, and their use changes from one country to another, but each has a core meaning. Islam has no ordained priesthood: anyone with the knowledge and character can teach or lead, and every Muslim speaks to Allah directly.
| Title | Arabic | Literal meaning | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imam | إِمَام | The one in front | The person who leads a prayer; the imam of a masjid; also a title for the great scholars, such as Imam Abu Hanifa. |
| Sheikh (shaykh) | شَيْخ | An old man, an elder | A senior scholar or teacher; in the Gulf, also a tribal or royal title; in Sufi circles, a spiritual guide. |
| Ustadh (ustaz, ustad) | أُسْتَاذ | Teacher, master | A teacher of Quran, Arabic or Islamic studies. In Arab universities, a professor. Often used for teachers below the rank of sheikh. |
| Mufti | مُفْتِي | One who gives an answer | A scholar qualified to issue a fatwa, a reasoned answer on what Islamic law says about a question. |
Imam shares its root with ummah. Allah told Ibrahim: "Indeed, I will make you a leader (imam) for the people" (2:124). In daily life an imam is whoever leads the congregation in salah, and the Prophet ﷺ said who should be chosen: "The one who leads the people should be the one most versed in the Book of Allah" (Sahih Muslim 673, from Abu Masud al-Ansari). The four founders of the madhhabs are called Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, Imam al-Shafi'i and Imam Ahmad. In Shia usage, the Imams are the twelve leaders from the Prophet's family.
A shaykh is literally a man of advanced age, someone past fifty in the old Arabic dictionaries. Respect for elders turned it into a title for anyone senior in knowledge. A student who studied under a scholar calls him "my sheikh". In the Gulf states the word is also a title of rulers and tribal leaders, so not every sheikh is a scholar. The feminine is shaykhah.
Ustadh came into Arabic from Persian. It means a teacher or a master of a craft. In the West it is used for teachers of Quran and Islamic studies, often younger teachers who are still studying. Ustadhah is the feminine. In Malaysia and Indonesia it is spelled ustaz and ustazah, and in South Asia ustad also means a music master.
Mufti comes from fatwa, an answer to a question of religion. Allah tells people to ask those who know:
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًۭا نُّوحِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ ۚ فَسْـَٔلُوٓا۟ أَهْلَ ٱلذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾
Wa maaa arsalnaa min qablika illaa rijaalan nooheee ilaihim; fas'alooo ahlaz zikri in kuntum laa ta'lamoon
And We sent not before you except men to whom We revealed [Our message]. So ask the people of the message if you do not know.
Quran 16:43 · Sahih International · Read in Surah An-Nahl
In the Hanafi tradition, a mufti must know the evidence and the reliable positions of the school, and Ibn Abidin wrote a whole treatise on the rules a mufti must follow. In South Asia, the title is usually given after the full alim course and one or two further years of training in fatwa (takhassus fi al-ifta). Many countries also have an official Grand Mufti.
Questions
An imam leads the prayer, and any qualified Muslim man can lead it. A sheikh is a title of respect for a senior scholar or elder. One person can be both.
Teacher. It is used for teachers of Quran, Arabic and Islamic studies. The feminine is ustadhah.
A scholar trained to give fatwas: reasoned answers, from the sources and the madhhab, to questions about Islamic law.
A woman may lead other women in prayer. The four madhhabs agree that a woman does not lead men in the obligatory prayers.
No. Islam has no priesthood. The imam leads the prayer and often teaches, but every Muslim worships and prays to Allah directly.