My Duty As An Imam

By Imam Murtadha Gusau

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers.

Dear brothers and sisters! I remember once walking into the Mosque five minutes before Zuhr, a normal habit of mine, and being stopped by one of the elders and jama’ah of the Mosque, who has a lot of love for me. He remarked, “Why are you coming late? Your only responsibility is to lead prayer, isn’t it?”

I took it with a pinch of salt, as this is exactly what our Islamic scholars trained us for, to absorb such comments with grace. But it did get me thinking: do people even know what an Imam’s actual roles are? I don’t think so. After all, even my own family often think I do nothing besides lead prayers and deliver a few talks (sermons and lectures).

On another occasion, I spoke to a colleague about struggling to manage my time with school responsibilities. His response caught me off guard: “Isn’t the time at school enough?” He’s a school teacher himself Subhanallah! but perhaps only a school headteacher truly understands how much work it takes to run a proficient and well-functioning system.

So, I’ve decided to put this short list together, with the hope that it will help people understand who their Imams really are. Maybe then, we’ll stop viewing them as just “the guy who leads prayer.” Maybe one day I’ll write something about the role of a school headteacher, In Shaa Allah. I suspect it won’t be any shorter than this one, though.

The Role of a Full-Time Imam

(A) Core Religious Duties

A full-time Imam is expected to be present and lead the daily prayers, prepare and deliver the Jumu’ah Khutbah, and lead Eid prayers as well as Ramadan night worship such as Tarawih. He conducts marriage ceremonies and offers pre-marriage guidance, leads Janazah prayers, and supports bereaved families in moments of loss. He also answers day-to-day fiqh questions and, where appropriate, may provide Ruqyah and interpret dreams within an Islamic framework.

(B) Teaching and Education

An Imam is deeply involved in teaching and learning, studying and delivering lessons in Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh and related Islamic sciences. He develops and leads community learning programmes aligned with the Islamic calendar, teaches or oversees Islamic education in schools, delivers weekly study circles, and mentors new Muslims as they begin their journey in the faith.

(C) Youth Engagement

He organises youth programmes, talks, question-and-answer sessions, trips, and structured activities. Beyond events, he is expected to be a trusted presence in young people’s lives, offering guidance without judgement. This includes one-to-one mentoring, counselling support, help with religious doubts, and awareness of youth trends to provide timely and relevant guidance.

(D) Women’s Services

The Imam supports and facilitates programmes for sisters, ensuring safe and beneficial learning environments. He also provides guidance on family and marital matters, supports mothers and women within the community, and helps create spaces where women can access education, support, and spiritual growth.

(E) Tarbiyyah and Spiritual Growth

He leads regular tarbiyyah and spiritual development sessions, monitors the general spiritual wellbeing of the community, and organises gatherings for the elderly to support their emotional and religious needs. He also reaches out to those who have drifted from the faith and guides adolescents through difficult stages of personal and spiritual development.

(F) Social and Welfare Support

An Imam is often involved in resolving family disputes, supporting divorce cases, addressing domestic abuse concerns, and assisting those struggling with addiction. He provides support for individuals facing mental health crises, writes official letters for housing or legal assistance where needed, connects people to food banks and charities, and works closely with welfare organisations and relief efforts.

(G) Leadership and Representation

He is expected to be available to the community at all times for guidance, emergencies, or simply to listen. He contributes to the strategic direction of the mosque, supports governance and decision-making, manages media and outreach, and organises fundraising campaigns for current and future projects. He also trains and inspires future leaders, mediates internal conflicts, and promotes unity and transparency within the mosque community.

(H) Behind the Scenes

Much of his work happens unseen: continuous study, preparation of reminders and educational content, strategic planning, and responding to constant messages, visits, and calls. Alongside all of this, he carries the spiritual responsibility of making sincere du‘a for the entire community.

In summary, a full-time Imam is: A prayer leader, a teacher, a counsellor, a director, a manager, a mentor, a spiritual father, a crisis worker, a public figure, and a light for the community.

And beyond all of that, he is human just like everyone else. He has needs, faces challenges, experiences good and bad days, gets tired, makes mistakes, deals with financial and family pressures, and is constantly engaged in an internal struggle with himself and with Shayṭan.

For Allah’s sake, Support Your Imam Like You Support Your Family. A Stronger Imam = A Stronger Community.

All perfect praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers.

Written by Imam Murtadha Muhammad Gusau, who is often seen as leading just a few prayers. Is the Chief Imam of: Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah Mosque; and Late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene Mosque, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com; or +2348038289761.

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