Mawla

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The word Mawla has two meanings.

1. Mawla is an Arabic word, prominently used in Islamic literature.

2. Mawla means the Soldiers of Shivaji Maharaj, a Hindu King.

This article is about the first meaning.

1 Definition
2 Use
3 Qur'an
4 Controversies
- 4.1 Sunni view
- 4.2 Shi'a view
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Definition

The word has a dual meaning of either master or servant.

A mawla is usually what a former slave, now servant, is referred as, i.e. someone who does not have tribal protection. For example "Salim Mawla Abi Hudhayfah" [1], since Salim was servant of Abu Hudhayfah.

It can also mean a much more elevated person, a "master," "lord," "vicar" or "guardian." (see: maulana, "our lord" or "our master")

[edit] Use

[edit] Qur'an

translations of Sura 47.11 from http://www.quranbrowser.com/

transliterated: Thalika bi-anna Allaha mawla allatheena amanoo waanna alkafireena la mawla lahum
Pickthall:That is because Allah is patron of those who believe, and because the disbelievers have no patron.
Yusuf Ali:That is because God is the Protector of those who believe, but those who reject God have no protector.
Shakir:That is because Allah is the Protector of those who believe, and because the unbelievers shall have no protector for them.
Sher Ali:That is because ALLAH is the Protector of those who believe, and the disbelievers have no protector.
Khalifa:This is because GOD is the Lord of those who believe, while the disbelievers have no lord.
Arberry:That is because God is the Protector of the believers, and that the unbelievers have no protector.
Palmer:That is because God is the patron of those who believe, and because the misbelievers have no patron.
Rodwell:This - because God is the protector of those who believe, and because the infidels have no protector.
Sale:This [shall come to pass], for that God is the patron of the true believers, and for that the infidels have no protector.

[edit] Controversies

The interpretation of the word "mawla" in the hadith of the pond of Khumm has given rise to controversies.

[edit] Sunni view

Sunni interpret it to mean "friend" if it is in fact a legitimate hadith. But the hadith, although it may be thought of as mutawatir by some, is still da'if. Al-Zayla’i said in Taareekh al-Hidaayah 1/189 “How many ahaadeeth there are which have many narrators and many isnaads, but they are da’eef (weak), such as the hadeeth “If I am someone’s mawla then ‘Ali is his mawla too”.”

Ibn Tayymiah, a prominent early Sunni scholar said, “As for his saying “If I am someone’s mawla then ‘Ali is his mawla too”, this is not in the books of Saheeh, but it is one of the reports which were narrated by the scholars and concerning whose authenticity the people disputed. It was narrated that al-Bukhaari, Ibraaheem al-Harbi and a group of scholars of hadeeth stated that it is not saheeh… As for the additional material, which is the phrase ‘O Allaah, take as friends those who take him as a friend, and take as enemies those who take him as an enemy,’ etc., this is undoubtedly false.” Manhaaj al-Sunnah, 7/319 (Ibn Tayymiah further claimed that many of the ahadith with additions to them as false in his Manhaaj al-Sunnah) Al-Dhahabi said of the hadith, “As for the hadeeth, “If I am someone’s mawla then ‘Ali is his mawla too”, it has jayyid isnaads.”

However there is another group of scholars from the Ahl Sunnah that state that the hadith is authentic.

عن شعبة, عن سلمة بن كهيل, قال: سمعت أبا الطفيل يحدث, عن أبي سريحة رضي الله عنه — أو زيد بن أرقم رضي الله عنه (شك شعبة) — عن النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم, قال: من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه.

وقد روى شعبة هذا الحديث, عن ميمون أبي عبد الله, عن زيد بن أرقم رضي الله عنه, عن النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم.

"Shu‘bah relates it from Salmah bin Kuhayl: I heard it from Abū Tufayl that Abū Sarīhah (رضي الله عنه) — or Zayd bin Arqam (رضي الله عنه) (Shu‘bah has doubts about the narrator) — relates that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم) said: One who has me as his master has ‘Alī as his master.

“Shu‘bah has related the tradition from Maymūm Abū ‘Abdullāh, who related it on the authority of Zayd bin Arqam (رضي الله عنه) and he has related it from the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم).”[1]

‘Asqalānī said in Fath-ul-bārī (7:74): Tirmidhī and Nasā’ī narrated the tradition and it is supported by numerous chains of transmission.

Albānī says in Silsilat-ul-ahādīth-is-sahīhah (4:331 # 1750) that its chain of authorities is sahīh (sound) according to the conditions of Bukhārī and Muslim.

An explanation of the hadeeth is given assuming it is true by Al-Jazari in al-Nihaayah:

"The word mawla is frequently mentioned in the hadeeth, and this is a name that is applied to many. It may refer to a lord, to an owner, to a master, to a benefactor, to one who frees a slave, to a supporter, to one who loves another, to a follower, to a neighbour, to a cousin (son of paternal uncle), to an ally, to an in-law, to a slave, to a freed slave, to one to whom one has done a favour. Most of these meanings are referred to in various ahaadeeth, so it is to be understand in the manner implied by the context of the hadeeth in which it is mentioned. Everyone who is in charge of some matter or is taking care of it is the mawla of that thing. The word mawla mentioned in this hadeeth may refer to most of the meanings indicated above..."

[edit] Shi'a view

Shi'a interpret it as meaning "master"

Shi'a also refer to Sura 5:55 by Shakir:

Only Allah is your Vali and His Apostle and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while they bow.

Where "Allah" is God, "His Apostle" is Muhammad and "those who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while they bow" is Ali, supporting their argument on the Hadith of giving Zakat while in Ruku`.