المعنى الاصطلاحي :

Full leadership of the commoners and nobles; aims at fulfilling their interests in the matters of their religion and their worldly life.

الشرح المختصر :

"Imaamah" (imamate/leadership) is acting as a representative of the Legislator in preserving the religion and managing the affairs of this life. Put differently: it is to lead the people to both their worldly interests as well as those related to their Hereafter according to the guidelines of the Shariah. From the Shariah perspective, all worldly affairs are meant for preserving the religion; therefore, management of the worldly affairs must be guided by he religion. Thus, "imaamah" is one of the greatest duties of the religion. The "Imam" is the head and chief of the people. He is the one who guides and calls them to any saying, action, or belief. The imam of anything is the one who fixes and manages it.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر :

"Imaamah": derived from "ammah", which means seeking, leading. "Imam": anyone who is taken as a leader.