One of the areas that most bothers me when engaging in apologetics and rebuttals online with regards to the debate surrounding the declaration of Muhammed [saw] at Ghadir Khum is the way some websites have interpreted 'Mawla'.
In a sense, they have tried to erroneously explain the root of the word Mawla means 'beloved' and this is the dominant expression of the word - to indicate and signify closeness and attachment. The reality is, this is only one of the meanings, but the dominant meaning is actually 'worthier' in the general meaning , and 'one who takes charge of a matter' in the most common rendering of the word. When the Prophet [saw] states 'whomsoever Mawla i am' you can quite simply throw away the other meanings such as slave and the like which do not apply to him. As for quoting traditions where others have been referred to as 'Mawla' this is extreme dishonesty, given the usage of the word depend on the context, and who it is being referred to. Context is key.
Here are the words and works of some well respected grammarians and scholars of the Arabic Language and Sunni Islam:
1. In the famous Lisan Al-Arab dictionary it states: he author of Lisan ul-Arab says: “Sibawayh says, “Wilaya stands for the guardianship of someone; taking charge of his “affairs and fulfilling his needs. The mawla (guardian) of a woman is he who undertakes the responsibility of contracting marriage on her behalf; she cannot get married without his agreement. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) says: (For women who got married without the permission of their guardians, their marriage is invalid.) Thus, the real meaning of this word (mawla) is to take charge of a matter and to carry it out. The various uses of the expression simply express this basic fact, such as saying the word ‘man’ for Zayd, Amr and Bakr. Allah is called Mawla because He is the ruler of the affairs of Man.
2. Az-Zajjaj and al-Farra’ said, as mentioned in al-Fakhr ar-Razi’s book At-Tafsir, vol. 29 p. 227, Egyptian edition that “Mawla means worthier.” It was mentioned that Abul-Abbas al- Mubarrid had said that Mawla means worthier and most deserving..
3. Some senior scholars have discussed this subject in their books. Abu Ubayda says in his book Ghareebul-Qur’an: “Mawla means worthier.”
4. Abdul-Malik bin Marwan as his evidence: “Al-Anbari said in his book Tafsirul-Mushkil fil-Qur’an: “Mawla means the worthier.”
5. And Zamakshari, the famous sunni scholar, combines both meaning in the following: “Az-Zamakhshari said in his Tafsir, vol. 4 p. 66, Egyptian edition: “In fact, Mawla means your place, where it would be better for you to be. [a worthier place]“
6. Al-Halabi, in his book At-Taqrib, said: “Mawla, in fact, means worthier and the other expressions are derived from it. The master is a mawla because he is worthier to manage his slaves’ affairs and to bear with their faults. The slave is a mawla because he is worthier to obey his master. So too are the freed slave,the helper who is more worthy of helping whom he helps, the ally to be more worthy of supporting his allies, the neighbour to be more worthy of helping his neighbour and defending him, the son-in-law to be more worthy of his relatives, the imam to be more worthy of whom he leads and the cousin to be more worthy of helping his cousins.” Since the word (Mawla) means worthier, there is no excuse to turn it away from its real meaning and seek other ones.
Please have a look where we have discussed the meaning of 'Awla', 'Mawla' and why together, the statement of the Prophet [saw] is very specific and exact in meaning.
1. Awla:
2. Mawla:
3. A holistic assessment of the full statement:
“Alastu Awla bil-Mu’mineen min Anfusihim?”. Man Kuntum Mawla, Fahadha Aliyun Mawla”
When the Prophet [saw] asks the believers if he is not more worthy over them, then they are over their own-selves [ and Ibn Kathir renders this to mean obedience to his commands over theirs, and thus, the Prophet [saw] is one who holds absolute authority over us], he has set the context of his worthiness and authority over all the believers. And thus when he subsequently states 'Whomsoevers Mawla i am' i.e whoever he is more worthy over [which owing to the preceding sentence will render the meaning to mean master, the leader over all of the muslims] Ali too, is his Mawla"
Some people have commented that at times, you can make a statement to grab the attention of the audience, and then make another statement that is not connected. This is true. For instance, a man can say 'Am i not the Messenger of Allah? If i am his Messenger, then love our parents and treat them kindly". However, what is unique an undeniable is the direct connection between 'Awla' and 'Mawla'. He first establishes his absolute authority over the believers as being more worthy over them, and then follows it by connecting the meaning to Awla, and using the word Mawla, and thus whomsoever he is more worthy over , Ali is also more worthy over , and in this context the word Mawla is rendered as explained to mean master, or one with absolute authority and leadership.
The rebuttals i am seeing online which try to purport that Mawla in essence is derived from a meaning of being 'beloved' and 'close' present one false interpretation. In general it means worthier, and in the context the Prophet [saw] particularly when you take the preceding statement made, it can only be rendered as Master.
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November 23, 2017, 03:14:21 AM