Al-Wali and al-Mawla are names of Allah, but it is permissible to call a Muslim “mawlana”
107392:
Is
the name Al-Wali one of the beautiful
names of Allah? Sometimes we hear people calling a shaykh “mawlana” or saying
“So and so is mawlana” – is that permissible?
Published Date:
2013-04-18
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Al-Wali and al-Mawla are two of the names of
Allah, because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Or have they taken (for worship) Awliya (guardians,
supporters, helpers,
protectors, etc.)
besides Him? But Allah, He Alone is the Wali (Protector, etc.).
And it is He Who gives life to the dead, and He is Able to do all things”
[Ash-Shoora 42:9]
“Allah
is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out
from darkness into light”
[Al-Baqarah 2:257]
“And if they turn away, then know that Allah is
your Mawla (Patron,
Lord, Protector
and Supporter, etc.), (what) an Excellent Mawla, and (what) an Excellent Helper!”
[Al-Anfaal 8:40]
“Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on
us. You are our Mawla (Patron, Supporter and Protector,
etc.) and give us
victory over the disbelieving people”
[Al-Baqarah 2:286]
“Say:
Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is
our Mawla (Lord, Helper and Protector)." And in Allah let the believers
put their trust”
[At-Tawbah 9:51].
And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said:
“You are its Guardian (Wali) and its Lord (Mawla).”
Narrated by Muslim, 7081
See: Fayd al-Qadeer, 2/613; al-Qawaa’id al-Mathla, p. 15
Secondly:
It is permissible to call another person “mawlana”
if he is Muslim, but it is not permissible to say that to a disbeliever.
Some of the scholars said that it is permissible
to use the word mawla to refer to a Muslim who is distinguished in knowledge or
righteousness.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said to Zayd ibn Haarithah: “You are our brother
and our mawla.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2552
The word mawla may be used with reference to an
owner, companion, relative, neighbour, ally, supporter, lover, benefactor,
recipient of kindness, slave or freed slave. See: al-Qamoos al-Muheet.
Ibn al-Atheer said: The word mawla
appears frequently in hadeeth. It is a word that may be applied to many things.
It
may refer to the Lord, the owner, the master, the benefactor, the
freed slave, the supporter, the lover, the follower, the neighbour, the cousin, the ally, the son-in-law, the
slave, and the recipient of kindness.
It mostly
appears in hadeeth and should be interpreted according to the context of the
hadeeth in which it is mentioned. Everyone who is in
charge of a matter or undertakes a matter may be described as its mawla or
wali.
End quote from an-Nihaayah fi Ghareeb al-Hadeeth, 5/227
Hence there is nothing wrong with giving this name
to a person so long as he is not a disbeliever.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Section: The dhimmi cannot be addressed as Sayyiduna etc
With regard to addressing (the
dhimmi) as sayyiduna, mawlana and the like (titles
roughly meaning “our master”), that is definitely haraam.
End quote from Ahkaam Ahl adh-Dhimmah, 2/771
An-Nawawi said: Imam Abu Ja‘far an-Nahhaas said
in his book Sinaa‘at al-Kitaab: With regard to the word al-mawla, we do not
know of any difference of opinion among the scholars concerning the fact that
no one should say “mawlaya (my master)” to another person. But I say: We have
seen in the previous chapter that it is permissible in all cases to say mawlaya
and there is no difference between (the two forms of the word). An-Nahhaas was
speaking of the word with the definite article (Al-mawla). Similarly, An-Nahhaas said:
The word sayyid may be said to anyone who is not an evildoer, but it should not
be used with the definite article (As-sayyid) to
refer to anyone other than Allah, may He be exalted. But the more correct view
is that there is nothing wrong with saying al-mawla and as-sayyid (with the
definite article, with reference to people) subject to the conditions mentioned
above, i.e., a person may becalled as-sayyid (with the
definite article) if he is a person of virtue and
goodness, either because of his knowledge or his righteousness and so on.
If he is an evildoer or there is some doubt concerning his religious commitment
and the like, it is makrooh to call him sayyid.
End quote from al-Adhkaar, p. 840. See also Mu‘jam al-Manaahi
al-Lafziyyah, p. 535
And Allah knows
best.
Islam Q&A
Calling a person ‘Mawlaana
Fatwa No : 117533
Fatwa Date : Safar
1, 1430 / 28-1-2009
Question
Assalmu Alaikum is it permissible to call person
Maulana? i read your fatwa in which you said Yes. but threr is hadith in sahih
muslim, in the forbidden words section (may be
kitabul alfaj) (also mishkat-kitabul adab)
which prohibits calling any person maula. but there is also hadith which
permits. so shouldn't we refrain from calling Maulana to be on the safe-side?
what is your opinion? and what about calling Rasulullah (peace be upon him)
-maulana? may Allah reward you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the
Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that
Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His
slave and Messenger.
The matter is as you have read in Fatwa 88538 that it is permissible to call a
particular person with the term Mawlaana with its proper meaning which applies
to him, and it is permissible to call the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam
( may Allaah exalt his mention ) with it as it is confirmed that he said: ‘‘Whoever considers me as his Mawla (master), then Ali is his
Mawla.’’
[Ahmad, At-Tirmithi and Ibn Maajah]
This term is among the common terms and it differs
in its real meaning from when it is added to the Creator, and when it is added
to a creature, like all other terms such as Samee’ (All-Hearer), Baseer (All-Seer)
and so forth. Allaah Says [about Himself] (what means):
{Indeed, Allaah is ever
Hearing and Seeing.}[Quran 4:58]
Allaah Says about man (what means): {Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture that We may
try him; and We made him hearing and seeing.}
[Quran 76:2]
Indeed, there is evidence that saying this term is
permissible, and there is no need to say that it is better to be on the safe
side and not attribute this to a creature. In fact the Salaf (the scholars among the righteous predecessors)
used this term and no one objected to them from doing so.
We have not come in the books that we have across
something that suggests that it is prohibited to say this term, rather the
Prophetic narration which is reported by Muslim may Allaah have mercy upon him
says the contrary as it reads: “Let him say
“Sayyidi” (my Master) and “Mawlaaya” (my Mawla)”.
Therefore, please send us the wording of the narration so that we may look for
it.
Allaah Knows
best.
Using the title 'Maulana' is permissible
Fatwa No : 88538
Fatwa Date : Rajab
15, 1425 / 31-8-2004
Question
Are we aloud to say Mawlana to Imaams or big Sheikhs.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the
Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that
Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well
as that of his family and all his companions.
Yes, it is permissible to say so, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): {Your Wali (protector and helper) is none but Allaah and
[therefore] His Messenger and those who have believed….} [5:55].
Allaah further says (interpretation of the meaning):
{But if you cooperate against him (the Prophet) - then indeed
Allaah is his protector, and Gabriel and the righteous among the believers and
the angels moreover, are [his] assistants.}
[66:4].
Mawlaa
is a common word that means: Lord, King, Mister, Benefactor, neighbour, beloved
one, etc…
Allaah knows
best.
Question:
Usage of the title “Maulana” has become popular among
Muslims to refer to our esteemed scholars with
respect and honor. However some Muslims have strongly prohibited this
usage, saying that it implies “shirk” or
ascribing partners unto Allah Almighty who refers to Himself as being “Maulana” in the
Holy Quran meaning Our Master. Is it permissible to refer to a human being as
“Maulana” and more specifically is it permissible
to refer to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as Maulana.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The term Maulana (مولانا)
comprises of two words ie. “Maula” (مولى) which is
normally translated as Master/Protector and “Naa” (نا) a
pronoun which means “our”. Therefore the
term Maulana (مولانا) generally means Our Master/Our Protector.
Allah Ta’ala refers himself as Maula in various places in The
Holy Quran:
{ وان تولوا
فاعلموا ان الله مولاكم نعم المولى ونعم النصير}
“And if they turn away, then know that Allah is your protector, an excellent protector, and an
excellent helper”
{انت مولانا فانصرنا على القوم الكافرين}
“You are our Protector, help us against the disbelievers”
{هو مولانا وعلى الله فليتوكل المؤمنون}
“He (Allah) is our Protector and on Allah let the
Believers put their trust”
The word Maula in the Arabic language has different meanings, Al-Hafidh Ibn Athir mentions
in his famous book An-Nihaayah fi Ghareeb al-Hadeeth that word Maula can refer to the following;
Lord, Master, Leader, Benefactor, Emancipator,
Helper, Lover,
Follower, Neighbour,
Cousin, Ally,
Colonel, Son-in-law,
Slave, Freed
Slave, Beneficiary. [1]
And all of these meanings are in conformation with the various
traditions of the The Holy Prophet ﷺ.
Therefore, it is absolutely wrong to claim that
the term “Maulana” refers to Allah Ta’ala alone, since
this word contains meanings that are not befitting to Majesty of Allah Ta’ala,
which is clearly shown in the aforementioned.
Allah refers to himself as: AL
Aleem (The All Knowledgeable), AL Samee (The All Hearing) Baseer (The All Seeing)
He also refers to his creation as Aleem, Samee, Baseer
{وبشّروه بغلام عليم}
“And they gave him the glad tidings of a knowledgeable son (Ishaaq,
peace be upon him)”
{فجعلناه سميعا بصيرا}
“We made him hearing, seeing”
These terms are used both for Allah and human beings, except
when attributed to Allah it carries a meaning which is exclusive
to His Majesty and is not attributed to any
of His creation, not even His Prophets or His Angels. There is none like
Allah, whether in His Being, His Names and His Attributes.
Hence, the word Aleem, when attributed to Allah, it
means All Knowledgeable, there is
none like Him in knowledge. And when referred to a human being, it implies the possessor of some knowledge, which is
limited and no way in comparison to the knowledge of Allah.
Similarly is the usage of the term Maulana,
it can be referred to Allah in a way befitting to His Majesty and it can be used for human
beings also in a manner befitting them.
Allah Ta’ala mentions the word Maula in The Holy Quran
referring to other than Himself e.g.
[يوم لا يغني مولى عن مولى شيئا ولا هم ينصرون إلا من رحم
الله]
“On this day no Maula
will benefit another Maula, neither
shall they be assisted” [2]
The word Maula in this Ayah refers to a companion or relative and
cannot be refered to The Almighty. If anyone insist that Maula in this Ayah
refers to Allah has committed apostasy and left the fold of Islam.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ mentions in a Hadith reported by Imam
Al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurairah, May Allah be pleased
with him.
لا يقل أحدكم أطعم ربك وضئ ربك، اسق ربك، وليقل سيدي،
مولاي
مولاي
“You should not say, ‘Feed your lord (referring to the owner
of the slave) help your lord in performing ablution, or give water to your lord, but should say my master or my Maula”
Al-Hafidh
Ibn Hajr mentions in his commentary: This hadith shows the
permissibility of using the word Maula to refer to other than Allah Ta’ala.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ mentions in a Hadith
reported by At-Tirmidhi, Ahmad and Ibn Majah
[من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه]
“Whoever considers me as his Maula
(Master), then Ali
(May Allah be pleased with him) is his Maula.”
Not only did The Holy Prophet ﷺ refer
to himself as Maula but referred to Ali (May Allah be pleased
with him) also.
The permissibility of using the word Maula referring to other
than Allah is clearly proven from The Quran and authentic Traditions of The
Holy Prophet ﷺ. There are no differences of opinion amongst the scholars with
regarding this issue.
Imam
An-Nawawi mentions in his Al-Adhkaar
quoting from Imam Abu Ja‘far an-Nahhaas, an early fourth century scholar,
master in the field Arabic Language and Hadith.
“With regards to the word Al-Maula,
we do not know of any difference of opinion among the scholars concerning the
fact that no one should say mawlaya (my master) to another person. “[3]
Sheikh
Ibn Uthaymeen in his Al-Manaahi
al-Lafziyyah has mentioned the permissibility of using the term Maulana
for other than Allah.[4]
Those who claim that it is shirk to
address someone other than Allah Ta’ala as Maulana may have drawn such a
conclusion by regarding “an addition” to the original text of the Hadith
mentioned above (i.e Hadith of Abu Hurairah) which is reported by Imam Muslim and Imam An-Nasaai :
[ولا يقل أحدكم مولاي، فإن مولاكم الله ولكن ليقل سيدي]
“You should not say My Maula
for indeed Your Maula is Allah, You should
rather say Sayyidi”
The Scholars of Hadith have stated that, most of the narrators
who reported this hadith did not mention this “addition”
and have thus declared such addition as weak and unacceptable because of
its contents being contrary to general sayings of The Holy Prophet ﷺ. [5]
In summary, it is permissible to refer to The Holy Prophet ﷺ, our esteemed scholars and religious
leaders as “Maulana” since there is no prohibition in the
Shariah, Rather its pressibility is proven from Quran and Sunnah.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Kaleem Muhammad
------------------------------------------
[1]
قال ابن الأثير في النهاية في غريب
الحديث:
وقد تكرر ذكر المَوْلَى في الحديث، وهو اسْمٌ يقَع على جَماعةٍ كَثيِرَة، فهو الرَّبُّ، والمَالكُ، والسَّيِّد،
والمُنْعِم، والمُعْتِقُ، والنَّاصر، والمُحِبّ،
والتَّابِع، والجارُ،
وابنُ العَمّ ، والحَلِيفُ،
والعَقيد، والصِّهْر،
والعبْد، والمُعْتَقُ،
والمُنْعَم عَلَيه، وأكْثرها قد جاءت في
الحديث، فَيُضاف كُلّ واحِدٍ إلى ما يَقْتَضيه الحديثُ الوَارِدُ فيه. وكُلُّ مَن وَلِيَ أمْراً أو قام به فَهُو مَوْلاهُ
وَوَليُّه
[2]
قوله تعالى : يوم لا يغني مولى عن مولى شيئا يوم بدل من يوم الأول . والمولى : الولي وهو
ابن العم والناصر . أي : لا يدفع ابن عم عن ابن عمه ، ولا قريب عن قريبه ،
ولا صديق عن صديقه اهـ .تفسير القرطبي دار الفكر
[3]
الأذكار للنووي ط ابن حزم (ص: 575)
قال الإمام أبو جعفرٍ النحاسُ في كتابهِ
صناعة الكتاب:
أما المولى فلا نعلمُ اختلافاً بين العلماءِ أنه لا
ينبغي لأحدٍ أن يقول لأحدٍ من
المخلوقين: مولاي
المخلوقين: مولاي
قلتُ: وقد تقدم في الفصل السابق [برقم: 1832] جوازُ إطلاق مولاي. ولا مخالفةَ بينهُ وبينَ هذا،
فإن النحاس تكلمُ في المولى بالألفِ واللامِ، وكذا
قال النحاسُ: يُقالُ: سيد لغير الفاسقِ، ولا يقالُ: السيد بالألف واللام
لغير الله تعالى، والأظهر أنه لا بأس بقوله: المولى والسيد بالألف واللام بشرطه
السابق؛ والله أعلم
[4]
سئل فضيلة الشيخ عن قول الإنسان إذا خاطب
ملكا ( يا مولاي ) فأجاب بقوله
الولاية تنقسم إلى قسمين : القسم الأول : ولاية مطلقة وهذه لله عز
وجل كالسيادة المطلقة ، وولاية الله بالمعنى
العام شاملة لكل أحد قال الله – تعالى -:(ثم ردوا إلى الله مولاهم الحق إلا له الحكم وهو أسرع
الحاسبين)(70) فجعل له سبحانه الولاية على هؤلاء المفترين،وهذه ولاية
عامة،وأما بالمعنى الخاص فهي خاصة بالمؤمنين المتقين قال
الله – تعالى – : (ذلك بأن الله مولى الذين
آمنوا وأن الكافرين لا مولى لهم وقال
الله – تعالى – : (إلا إن أولياء الله لا خوف
عليهم ولا هم يحزنون الذين آمنوا وكانوا يتقون) وهذه ولاية خاصة
القسم الثاني: ولاية مقيدة مضافة ، فهذه
تكون لغير الله ولها في اللغة معاني كثيرة منها الناصر ، والمتولي
للأمور،والسيد، قال الله – تعالى –(وإن تظاهرا عليه فإن الله هو مولاه وجبريل وصالح المؤمنين) وقال ، صلى الله عليه وسلم :(من كنت مولاه فعلي مولاه )
وقال صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( إنما الولاء لمن
أعتق ). وعلى هذا فلا بأس أن يقول القائل للملك : مولاي بمعنى سيدي ما لم
يخشى من ذلك محذور
[5]
وأما ما أخرجه مسلم والنسائي من طريق
الأعمش عن أبي صالح عن أبي هريرة في هذا الحديث نحوه وزاد: ولا يقل أحدكم مولاي، فإن مولاكم الله ولكن ليقل سيدي.
فقد بين مسلم الاختلاف في ذلك على الأعمش، وأن منهم
من ذكر هذه الزيادة ومنهم من حذفها. وقال
عياض: حذفها أصح. وقال القرطبي: المشهور
حذفها. قال: وإنما صرنا إلى الترجيح للتعارض مع تعذر الجمع وعدم العلم
بالتاريخ. انتهى- فتح
الباري
Significance of Titles used for Scholars
I was wondering whether or
not anyone could shed any light on what the various titles used for Ulama in
the Subcontinent such as Maulvi, Maulana, etc., really mean.
And whether or not there are agreed upon
standards that one must meet before having the title conferred upon them, or do
different madrassas, schools, governments, etc. have different standards.
Also, are
there any equivalent titles/certifications for ulema in the Arab lands?
Question # q-18145316
Date Posted: 30/03/2004
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
The using of various titles for the
scholars (ulama) in the Indian
Subcontinent is merely something that is customary and widespread in those
lands.
The titles are not based upon any
injunction or ruling of Shariah. As such, titles used for scholars may vary
from one place to another and from one era to another.
For example: The title “Mawlana” which literally means
“our master” is normally used for an individual who graduates from a
traditional Islamic institution (madrasa) known as a Dar al-Uloom, for example…
The student normally concludes his course in
these Dar al-Ulooms with the study of at least the six major books of Hadith (kutub al-sittah) with the chain (isnad) that goes back to
the authors of the books and consequently to the Messenger of Allah (Allah
bless him & give him peace).
As stated earlier that linguistically “Mawlana” means “our master”. It is a term that is
used in order to respect someone, such as a religious scholar.
This term is also used in the Arab
world out of regard for a respectable person, not necessarily a religious
scholar. During my stay in Syria and Jordan, many times I heard the Arabs say:
“Ya Mawlana” (O our
master)
or “Ya Sayyidi” (O our leader).
Sayyiduna Ali (Allah en
noble his face and be pleased with him) said:
“Whoever teaches me even a
word, he is my master. If he so desires, he may free me and if he wishes he may
take service from me.”
(Ta’lim al-Muta’allim)
Thus, this term is only used in order
to respect someone, and due to the fact that religious scholars deserve the
utmost respect, they are given this title. This also signifies that one does
not need to be a scholar in order to be described with this title, for it is
merely a word of respect.
However, if the term is customarily used in a
place for recognized scholars, then it would not be permissible to give that
title to other than scholars.
Therefore, if one was to call a
non-scholar with the title of “Mawlana”
in
an area where this term is not exclusively recognized for scholars (such as in
many Arab countries), then it would be perfectly okay. However, to use this
term for non-scholars in the Indian subcontinent would not be permissible
due to deception.
Also, it is not necessary for one to
graduate from a traditional Dar
al-Uloom in
order to be described with this title. However, what is necessary is that the
one given this title must learn and study by other recognized scholars, whether
in an organized institution or privately.
There are also other titles that are used in the Indian Subcontinent.
For example:
A’lim (the knowledgeable), Mawlavi (my master) and Shaykh are all used for the one who graduates from a
traditional Dar al-Uloom.
“Mufti” literally means the one who answers questions, and in
the Indian Subcontinent it refers to a person who after graduating from the A’lim course,
specializes in the field of Islamic jurisprudence
(fiqh)
and giving religious verdicts (fatwa) under the supervision of recognized
experienced Muftis.
It is only a customary term for anyone
who takes up the course of specialization in Islamic jurisprudence, thus the
term may differ from the understanding of the Arab world.
The term
“Shaykh al-Hadith” normally refers to a
person who is appointed and honoured to teach the most authentic book after the
book of Allah “Sahih al-Bukhari”. This again is a term that
is customary in the Indian Subcontinent and may differ from other
Islamic countries and societies.
In conclusion, the different titles
given to the scholars in the Indian Subcontinent are merely customary, thus
they may differ in application from other Islamic societies and cultures.
And Allah knows best
Muhammad
ibn Adam
Darul
Iftaa
Leicester
, UK
Copyright© 2005 Darul Iftaa. All rights reserved
Calling a scholar Mawlana
What is the answer to
those who say that only Allah Almighty is Maulana, and it is not permissible to
call anyone Maulana?
Question # q-20114860
Date Posted: 04/02/2004
In the name of Allah,
Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
The word “Mawlana” literally means our
master. It is a word of honour and respect normally used in the Indo/Pak for a person who has
graduated from a traditional religious institute (Dar al-Uloom). The words Alim, Mawlavi
and
Fadhil are also used for the same person.
It is also used in the Arab world (out
of regard) for a respectable person, not necessarily a religious scholar.
During my stay in Syria, many times I heard the Arabs say:
“Ya Mawlana” (O our master) or “Ya Sayyidi” (O our
leader).
It is clear from the above
that there is nothing wrong in calling someone Mawlana.
It is merely a word used to respect someone
you have regard for, such as a religious scholar.
Those who object to this, say that the
real “Mawla” (master)
is
only Allah Almighty, and therefore to grant somebody the name of Allah is not
permissible.
This however, is incorrect, as many
words and titles used for Allah Almighty are also used for his servants. The
great commentator of the Holy Qur’an, Imam Ibn Kathir (Allah have mercy on
him) states in his Tafsir:
“There are certain names of Allah that
are used (as names) for other than Allah, and certain names of Allah are
exclusive for Him alone, such as: Allah, al-Rahman (Merciful), Al-Khaliq (Creator), al-Raziq (Sustainer) and so forth”
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 1/42).
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him
& give him peace) was described as “Rahim” in the Qur’an, which is
also a name of Allah Almighty.
Similarly, the term “Rabb”
is
used repeatedly in the Arabic language (in connection with another word). The
books of Fiqh are full of this. The head of a house is called Rabb al-Bayt, even though, the word Rabb is used for
Allah Most High in the very first verse of the Qur’an. The word
‘Mawla’ itself is used in the Arabic language
for a master of a servant or slave.
In conclusion, it is totally
permissible to call a person “Mawlana” out of respect. One should always
remember that these are trivial matters, and one should avoid arguments with
regards to it. The Muslim Ummah is in need of more important matters to be
solved.
And Allah Knows Best
Muhammad
ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK
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