Mawla

Mawlā (Arabic: مَوْلَى, plural mawālī مَوَالِي), is a polysemous Arabic word, whose meaning varied in different periods and contexts.[1]

Before the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the term originally applied to any form of tribal association.[2]

In the Quran and hadiths it is used in a number of senses, including 'Lord', 'guardian', and 'trustee'.[1]

After Muhammad's death, this institution was adapted by the Umayyad dynasty to incorporate new converts to Islam into Arab-Muslim society and the word mawali gained currency as an appellation for converted non-Arab Muslims in the early Islamic caliphates.

  1. ^ a b A.J. Wensinck, Encyclopedia of Islam 2nd ed, Brill. "Mawlā", vol. 6, p. 874.
  2. ^ Goldziher, Ignác (1889). Muhammedanische Studien. Halle. p. 105.