What does "imam" mean in the books of fiqh, versus how the title is used locally

Answer

In relation to prayer there are two distinct definitions of "imam." The "functional imam" is simply whoever performs the function of leading any given prayer, including a woman leading a congregation of women, as al-'Allamah Qasim al-Qunawi states in *Anis al-Fuqaha*. The "official imam" refers to the office of an appointed imam -- the person officially appointed by the head of a Muslim polity to administer the duties of imamah at a given masjid, or, in non-Muslim states, appointed by a masjid's caretakers, usually but not necessarily a salaried position. Our country's history of Islamic practice is very short, and we must be grateful to past generations who, with very little knowledge, built masjids and kept them running even without being qualified to lead the prayers -- without them, the prayers would not have even been established, and we are still coming out of that stage. Full transition to qualified leadership therefore takes time. In experience, an unqualified imam shown harsh opposition tends to react in kind; but where he is instead befriended, and shown love and friendliness by those who support the qualified scholar, over time he may himself hand over leadership -- first for one or two prayers, then eventually most. Years of antagonising an unqualified imam achieved nothing in similar situations we've seen, while less than a year of befriending him did.