Ulema (علماء, translit: ‘Ulamā’, singular: عالِم,
translit: ‘Ālim, "scholar") refers to the educated class of
Muslim scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic
studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law.
While the ulema are well versed in jurisprudence, some of them
also go on to specialize in other sciences, such as philosophy,
dialectical theology or Quranic hermeneutics. The fields
studied, and the importance given them, will vary from tradition
to tradition, or even from seminary to seminary.
In a broader sense, the term ulema is used to describe the body
of Muslim clergy who have completed several years of training
and study of Islamic sciences, such as a mufti, qadi, faqih or
muhaddith. Some Muslims include under this term the village
mullahs, imams and maulvis who have attained only the lowest
rungs on the ladder of Islamic scholarship; other Muslims would
say that they must meet higher standards to be considered ulema
scholars.
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