Muslim cleric

The Arabic term ulama (/ˈuːləˌmɑː/; Arabic: علماء‎ ʿUlamāʾ, singular عالِم ʿĀlim, "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ulema; feminine: alimah [singular] and uluma [plural]), according to the Encyclopedia of Islam (2000), in its original meaning "denotes scholars of almost all disciplines". More specifically, in the context of Sunni Islam, ulama are regarded as "the guardians, transmitters and interpreters of religious knowledge, of Islamic doctrine and law".

By longstanding tradition, ulama are educated in religious institutions (madrasas). The Quran, sunnah (authentic hadith), qiyas (analogical reasoning, for Sunni Islam) or 'aql ("dialectical reasoning", for Shia Islam), ijma (juridical consensus) are the sources of traditional Islamic law.

Over time, the intellectual discourse and teachings of the ulama have significantly contributed to the debates in the Muslim public sphere, and still do so to the present day. Increasingly, the traditional scholars of Islam are becoming prominent actors in contemporary Muslim societies and politics.

Students did not associate themselves with a specific educational institution, but rather sought to join renowned teachers. By tradition, a scholar who had completed his studies was approved by his teacher. At the teacher's individual discretion, the student was given the permission for teaching and for the issuing of legal opinions (fatwa). The official approval was known as the ijazat at-tadris wa 'l-ifta ("license to teach and issue legal opinions"). Through time, this practice established a chain of teachers and pupils who became teachers in their own time.

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