| Alim (pl. Ulamah) The ulema are Muslim
scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They
are best known as the arbiters of
sharia, that is, the
Islamic law. While the ulema are understandably well versed in
fiqh, some of them also
go on to specialize in other sciences, such as philosophy (falsafah),
dialectical theology (kalam) or Quranic hermeneutics (tafsir).
The fields studied, and the importance given them, will vary
from tradition to tradition, or even from seminary to seminary. |
