Religious figure's male friend from the east (4)
I believe the answer is:
imam
'religious figure's male friend from the east' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'male friend from the east' is the wordplay.
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'friend' becomes 'ami' (I've seen this before).
'from the east' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'm'+'ami'='mami'
'mami' backwards is 'IMAM'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for imam that I've seen before include "Islamic religious leader" , "Mosque's prayer leader" , "Authority on Islamic doctrine and law" , "Moslem prayer leader" , "Maim (anag)" .)