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Mullah (Persian: ملا) is a title given to some Islamic clergy, coming from the Arabic word mawla, meaning both 'vicar' and 'guardian. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given Religion. The word Mawlā or patron has two meanings Mawla is an Arabic word "مولی" prominently used in Islamic literature which means protector ' In large parts of the Muslim world, particularly Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, it is the name commonly given to local Islamic clerics or mosque leaders. [1]
Depending on the circumstances it can be either a term of respect (a learned man) or abuse (a bigot and fanatic). [2]
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Training and duties
Ideally, a trained Mullah will have studied Islamic traditions (hadith), and Islamic law (fiqh). Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic Fiqh ( Arabic: فقه, fɪqəh is Islamic Jurisprudence. Fiqh is an expansion of the Sharia Islamic law—based directly on the They are often hafiz, i. Hafith or Hafiz ( Arabic: حافظ قرآن or حافظ plural huffaz) literally meaning 'guardian' is a term used by Muslims in modern e. have memorized the Qur'an. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran However, uneducated villagers often recognize a literate Muslim with a less than complete Islamic training as their "mullah" or religious cleric. Mullahs with varying levels of training lead prayers in mosques, deliver religious sermons, and perform religious ceremonies such as birth rites and funeral services. They also often teach in a type of Islamic school known as a madrasah. "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə. This triumvirate of knowledge is applied mostly in interpreting Islamic texts (ie. the Quran, Hadiths, etc. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic ) for matters of Shariah, ie Islamic law. Mullah's are often shown in western media as being extreme; it can be agreed that every muslim differs in the strenuousness of his/her practice, and belief in the teachings of Islam.
Usage
The term is most often applied to Shi'i clerics, as Shi'a Islam is the predominant tradition in Iran. However, the term is very common in Urdu, spoken throughout northern India, and it is used throughout the Indian subcontinent for any Muslim clergy, Sunni or Shi'a. Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic Muslim clergy in Russia and other former Soviet republics are also referred to as mullahs, regardless of whether they are Sunni or Shi'a. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending
The term is seldom used in Arabic-speaking areas, where its nearest equivalent is shaykh (implying formal Islamic training), imam (prayer leader; not to be confused with the Imams of the Shiite world), or `ālim (plural `ūlamā') (scholar; see ulema). Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Cheikh, Shaikh, and other variants ( Arabic:, shaykh An imam (إمام plural ائمة A'immah, امام is an Islamic leader often the leader of a Mosque and/or community Ulema ( ar علماء,, singular ar عالِم,, "scholar" refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several In the Sunni world, the concept of "cleric" is of limited usefulness, as authority in the religious system is relatively decentralized.
The term is frequently used in English, although English-speaking Muslim clergy rarely call themselves mullahs. It was adopted from Urdu by the British rulers of India and subsequently came into more widespread use.
Mullahs have frequently been involved in politics, but only recently have they actually taken power. Islamists seized power in Iran in 1979, and later, in Afghanistan under the Taliban. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Taliban ( طالبان, also anglicised as Taleban; translation "students" is a Sunni Islamist, predominately
Usage as a derogatory term
Iran
Until early 20th century, the term mullah was used in Iranian hawzas (seminaries) to refer to low-level clergy who specialized in telling stories of Ashura, rather than teaching or issuing fatwas. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Hawza ( Arabic / Persian: حوزة or ḥawza ˤilmiyya ( Arabic / Persian: حوزة علمیة is a Seminary of traditional The Day of Ashura ( ar عاشوراء, Ashura Ashoura and other spellings is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax A fatwā (فتوى plural fatāwā فتاوى in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion on Islamic law issued by an Today, the term mullah is sometimes used as a derogatory term for any Islamic cleric. It is common in Iran to refer to an ayatollah or other high level clerics, as a mullah, to ridicule his religious authority. Ayatollah ( Persian: آيتالله, âyato-llâh, from Arabic: آية الله, āyatu 'llāh, meaning 'the sign of
Afghanistan & Pakistan
In Afghanistan, it is referred to any person of religious orientation with whom secularists might not agree.
References
- ^ Roy, Olivier (1994). Olivier Roy (born 1949) is a research director at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS and a lecturer for both the School for Advanced Studies in the The Failure of Political Islam. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 28-9. ISBN 0674291409.
- ^ Taheri, Amir (1985). Amir Taheri is an Iranian born Journalist and author based in Europe. The spirit of Allah : Khomeini and the Islamic revolution. Bethesda, Md. : Adler & Adler, 53. ISBN 091756104X.
See also
- Akhoond
- Shaykh
- Maulvi
- Maulana
- Ayatollah
- Ulema
- Mullah Omar - Mullah Mohammed Omar (born c. An akhoond ( akhund or akond) ( آخوند) is a Persian name for a Muslim cleric common in Iran and Azerbaijan Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Cheikh, Shaikh, and other variants ( Arabic:, shaykh Mawlawi (also spelled Maulvi, Moulvi and Mawlvi Persian مولوی is an honorific Islamic religious title often but not exclusively given Ayatollah ( Persian: آيتالله, âyato-llâh, from Arabic: آية الله, āyatu 'llāh, meaning 'the sign of Ulema ( ar علماء,, singular ar عالِم,, "scholar" refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several Mullah Mohammed Omar ( Pashto: ملا محمد عمر (born c 1959) leader of the Taliban
- Mullah Nasruddin - icon of Islamic humour
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