Mawlawi (Islamic title)

Moulvi (Arabic: مولوی‎; also spelled Maulvi, Mawlawi, and Mawlvi) is an honorific Islamic religious title given to Muslim religious scholars, or ulama, preceding their names, similar to the titles Mawlānā, Mullah, or Sheikh. Mawlawi generally means a highly qualified Islamic scholar, usually one who has completed full studies in a madrassa (Islamic school) or darul uloom (Islamic seminary). It is commonly used in Iran, Central Asia, South Asia, South East Asia and East Africa. The word Mawlawi is derived from the Arabic word mawla, which has several meanings, including "lord".

Turkish Mawlawi fraternity of Sufis (Muslim mystics) founded in Konya (Qonya), Anatolia, by the Persian Sufi poet Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi (d. 1273), whose popular title mawlana (Arabic for "our master") gave the order its name. The order, propagated throughout Anatolia, controlled Konya and environs by the 15th century and in the 17th century appeared in Istanbul.^[1]

South Asia

In the Central Asian and Pakistani context, where Mullah does not carry a formal meaning, "Maulana" or "Maulvi" is often the word of choice for addressing or referring to respected Muslim religious scholars (ulama). Although the words Maulvi, Maulbi and Maulana are interchanged in the South Asia as a title of respect, Maulana is more often associated with formal qualification following study at a madrassa or darul uloom whereas Maulvi is usually more a general title for religious figures.

See also

• Glossary of Islam
• Hadrat

References