Some Muslims trivialise the meaning of ‘مَوْلَاهُ‏’ and say...

Some Muslims trivialise the meaning of ‘مَوْلَاهُ‏’ and say it means ‘friend’ so as per their interpretation, Rasool-Allah -saww said: As you have befriended me -saww so you should also befriend Ali -asws . However, if one compare this to what Al-Quran is saying about our Holly Prophet -saww will be able to understand whether is it right to call the holly prophet our friend or not!

النَّبِيُّ أَوْلى‏ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ‏ مِنْ‏ أَنْفُسِهِم‏ (33:6) The Prophet is preferred over all Momineen from their own lives. Also in 49:1-5, Allah -azwj Command Muslims to respect and honour Rasool-Allah -saww , Appendix I. Another translation of the word Moula is Servant/in service, so let’s take this translation into context and see what it can also mean. من کنت مولاہ، فعلی مولاہ Whoever was in my service, is now in Ali’s service. The question arises, who is/was in prophet -saww ’s service?

In order to understand that, we will present an Amazing verse from Al-Quran. قُلْ إِنْ كانَ لِلرَّحْمنِ وَلَدٌ فَأَنَا أَوَّلُ‏ الْعابِدِينَ‏. Say (O Prophet) If Al-Rahman were to take someone as a Son, Then I should the one as I was the first of his obedient (43:81). This verse was revealed to denounce the ideology of people who took prophet Jesus as the son of Allah -azwj .

In other words, this verse is saying that Al-Rahman doesn’t have any blood relationships and if he had any, our holly Prophet -saww would be the one because he is the first from the obedient ones. There are numerous Holy Verses and Ahadith in the praise of Rasool-Allah -saww , thereby establishing the status of Rasool-Allah -saww second to none, among the ‘Abd’ of Allah -azwj .

Therefore, when people look up the word in Arabic dictionary, the confusion persists as there are multiple meanings for the word ‘مَوْلَا’, as it has been used in different cultures for over 1400 years giving a list of its possible usage.

Therefore, one has to turn to the Holy Quran and see in which context and meanings Allah -azwj has Revealed it and what are its meanings in the context of what Rasool-Allah -saww said in the sermon of Ghadeer: مَنْ‏ كُنْتُ‏ مَوْلَاهُ‏ فَهَذَا عَلِيٌّ مَوْلَاه‏ As Rasool-Allah -saww would always be instructing believers in accordance with what had been Revealed to him -saww with the Words of Allah -azwj .

In most of Holy Verses, where the Word ‘Moula’ is Revealed, it is in the meanings of ‘Master’ and/or ‘Guardian’ and is mainly used for Allah -azwj . e.g., أَنْتَ مَوْلَانَا , .

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