عالم
ʿĀlim
A scholar of religion; the plural, ulama, is the learned class of Muslim societies.
What it means
The Quran says: “Only those of His servants who have knowledge fear God” (35:28). It asks “are those who know equal to those who do not?” (39:9). The Prophet said that the scholars are the heirs of the prophets (Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi).