imamate

1 9.9

The position or rule of an imam in a Muslim community

noun
/ˈɪməˌmeɪt/

: imamate

The flow of demands and support from society to the imamate and of rewards and commands in the opposite direction was handled not by specialized political bodies such as organized pressure groups and political parties, but informally and face-to-face by officials, notables, and family heads.
the imamate in Yemen

Examples

Throughout history, the imamate has played a crucial role in guiding Shia Muslims and defining their faith and practices.
The territory of imamate Yemen was quickly divided among the republicans, the royalists, and the tribes, which secured subsidies and their autonomy by playing the two competitors for the state off against each other.

Academic text (1992)
The first is the Shiite doctrine of the Imamate.

Academic text (1990)
While I understand and sympathize with the frustrations of those who advocate for a female imamate, I believe that a more pressing problem that most American Muslim women face is simply access to equal and comfortable prayer space in our mosques.

Blog text (12)
In 1962, the Imamate in North Yemen was overthrown by a military coup that created the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR).

Academic text (1994)
Moreover, it seems that this first stage of political development ended late in Salih's first decade, and that only then did the attribute of sovereignty in the republican state clearly exceed that in the imamate at the apex of Imam Yahya's reign.

Academic text (1992)
The imamate is an essential concept in Shia Islam, representing the leadership of the Muslim community.
Shia belief holds that the imamate is divinely ordained, establishing the imam's authority over both religious and worldly matters.

Synonyms

emirate

vsimamate

34 7.3

Country or region ruled by a single leader in some Muslim countries

is a religious office or institution rather than purely territorial rule

patriarchate

vsimamate

Specialized

2 9.9

The area or office led by a senior church leader in some Christian churches

is the same kind of office but for a Muslim religious leader

sultanate

vsimamate

1 7.0

A country ruled by a sultan

is focused on a religious leadership office rather than a sovereign state

Surface Forms

imamate singular

imamates plural

Morphology

imamate = imam (transparent) = imam + ate

The word 'imamate' clearly derives from 'imam' with the addition of the suffix '-ate' to denote the office or period of rule.

Etymology

Imamate comes from the Arabic word imam, meaning 'leader' or 'one who stands in front', combined with the ending -ate that shows 'office or rule'. So, an imamate is the 'office, territory, or period of rule of an imam'.