Mawla

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The word Mawlā or patron has two meanings. Mawla is an Arabic word "مولی", prominently used in Islamic literature which means protector.

“Call them by (the names of) their fathers(not mother): that is juster in the sight of Allah. But if you know not their father's(for obviuos reasons)they are your Brothers in faith and those entrusted to you. But there is no blame on you if ye make a mistake therein: (what counts is) the intention of your hearts: and Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. Holy Qur'an Chapter 33V:5.”

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

[edit] Definition

The word has a dual meaning of either master, protector or supporter, wali, wilayah, awla are its supporting synonyms.

A mawla usually means the one who have more authority over believers then they have on themselves It can also mean a much more elevated person, a "master," "lord," "vicar" or "guardian." (see: maulana, "our lord" or "our master")

[edit] Use

In the context of Elias Modern Dictionary, Arabic English and various more sources and in accordance with aayats 22.13, 47.11, etc, its clear that the word 'mawla' signifies master, etc

[edit] Qur'an

Translations of Sura 47:11.^[1]

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.

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 true.” (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 Sunni 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.

Some of the Sunni references: (1) Sahih Tirmidhi, v2, p298, v5, p63 (2) Sunan Ibn Maja, v1, pp 12,43 (3) Khasa'is, by al-Nisa'i, pp 4,21 (4) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v2, p129, v3, pp 109-110,116,371 (5) Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v1, pp 84,118,119,152,330, v4, pp 281,368,370, 372,378, v5, pp 35,347,358,361,366,419 (from 40 chains of narrators) (6) Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Hanbal, v2, pp 563,572 (7) Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p103 (from several transmitters) (8) Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, v12, pp 49-50 (9) Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthur, by al-Hafiz Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v3, p19 (10) Tarikh al-Khulafa, by al-Suyuti, pp 169,173 (11) al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, by Ibn Kathir, v3, p213, v5, p208 (12) Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn Athir, v4, p114 (13) Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, v2, pp 307-308 (14) Habib al-Siyar, by Mir Khand, v1, part 3, p144 (15) Sawaiq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, p26 (16) al-Isabah, by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, v2, p509; v1, part1, p319, v2, part1, p57, v3, part1, p29, v4, part 1, pp 14,16,143 (17) Tabarani, who narrated from companions such as Ibn Umar, Malik Ibn al-Hawirath, Habashi Ibn Junadah, Jari, Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas, Anas Ibn Malik, Ibn Abbas, Amarah,Buraydah,... (18) Tarikh, by al-Khatib Baghdadi, v8, p290 (19) Hilyatul Awliya', by al-Hafiz Abu Nu'aym, v4, p23, v5, pp26-27 (20) al-Istiab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, Chapter of word "ayn" (Ali), v2, p462 (21) Kanzul Ummal, by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, v6, pp 154,397 (22) al-Mirqat, v5, p568 (23) al-Riyad al-Nadirah, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, v2, p172 (24) Dhaka'ir al-Uqba, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, p68 (25) Faydh al-Qadir, by al-Manawi, v6, p217 (26) Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, by al-Qudoozi al-Hanafi, p297 ... And hundreds more. Please see part 3 for more classified references (traditionists, historians, and commentators).

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 Quran

That is because Allah is PATRON (MAWLA) of those who believe, and because the disbelievers have no PATRON (MAWLA). (47:11)

ALSO READ : 22.13, 22.78, 57.15, 8.40, 10.30 WHICH MEANS MAWLA AS PATRON OR PROTECTOR

[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 Wali 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`.