Alem

This name derives from the direct Quranic “ʿĀlim,” meaning “learned, expert, scholar, wise, the All-knowing, the Omniscient, the Knower.” Ulama (singular: ʿĀlim), also spelled “ulema, alimah” (female) and “uluma,” in contemporary usage by Muslims, refers to the religious elite of scholars at the top of the sectarian hierarchy. The use of the word ‘alim’ in the Quran differs radically from its contemporary application. As Dr. Ibrahim B. Syed has pointed out, the term “Alim” in the Quran actually refers to scientists, indicating the high importance afforded by the Quran to the physical sciences.