![Mollah imamzadeh tabriz](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Mollah_imamzadeh_tabriz.jpg)
Mullah (; ) is an honorific title for
Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...
and
Sunni Muslim clergy or a
Muslim mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
leader.
The term is also sometimes used for a person who has higher education in
Islamic theology
Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding '' ʿaqīdah'' (creed). The main schools of Islamic Theology include the Qadariyah, Falasifa, Jahmiyya, Murji'ah, Muʿtazila, Batin ...
and
sharia law.
The title has also been used in some
Mizrahi
''Mizrachi'' or ''Mizrahi'' ( he, מזרחי) has two meanings.
In the literal Hebrew meaning ''Eastern'', it may refer to:
*Mizrahi Jews, Jews from the Middle East
* Mizrahi (surname), a Sephardic surname, given to Jews who got to the Iberian P ...
and
Sephardic Jewish communities to refer to the community's leadership, especially religious leadership.
Etymology
The word ''mullah'' is derived from the
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
word ''mawlā'' ( ar, مَوْلَى), meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian".
Usage
Historical usage
The term has also been used among
Persian Jews
Persian Jews or Iranian Jews ( fa, یهودیان ایرانی, ''yahudiān-e-Irāni''; he, יהודים פרסים ''Yəhūdīm Parsīm'') are the descendants of Jews who were historically associated with the Persian Empire, whose successor ...
,
Bukharan Jews, Afghan Jews, and other
Central Asian
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former S ...
Jews to refer to the community's religious and/or secular leadership. In
Kaifeng
Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the No ...
, China, the
historic Chinese Jews who managed the synagogue were called "mullahs".
Modern usage
It is the term commonly used for village or neighborhood mosque leaders, who may not have high levels of religious education, in large parts of the
Muslim world
The terms Muslim world and Islamic world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is practiced. I ...
, particularly
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
,
West Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
,
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
,
Eastern Arabia
Eastern Arabia, historically known as al-Baḥrayn ( ar, البحرين) until the 18th century, is a region stretched from Basra to Khasab along the Persian Gulf coast and included parts of modern-day Bahrain, Kuwait, Eastern Saudi Arabia, Unite ...
, the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
and the
Horn of Africa. In other regions a different term may be used, such as ''
imam'' in the
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan the title is given to graduates of a
madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
or Islamic school, who are then able to become a mosque leader, a teacher at a religious school, a local judge in a village or town, or to perform religious rituals. A person who is still a student at a madrasa and yet to graduate is a ''talib''. The Afghan
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
was formed in 1994 by men who had graduated from, or at least attended, madrasas. They called themselves ''taliban'', the plural of ''talib'', or "students". Many of the leaders of the Taliban were titled ''Mullah'', although not all had completed their madrasa education. Someone who goes on to complete postgraduate religious education receives the higher title of
Mawlawi.
''Mullah'' and its variation ''mulla'' have also degenerated into a derogatory term for a Muslim priest that connotes a semiliterate, backward, often bigoted village imam.
In
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, Shia clerics commonly use
Ayatollah
Ayatollah ( ; fa, آیتالله, āyatollāh) is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy in Iran and Iraq that came into widespread usage in the 20th century.
Etymology
The title is originally derived from Arabic word p ...
, rather than Mullah.
Until the early 20th century, the term ''mullah'' was used in Iranian
seminaries to refer to low-level clergy who specialized in telling stories of
Ashura, rather than teaching or issuing
fatwas. However, in recent years, among Shia clerics, the term ''ruhani'' (spiritual) has been promoted as an alternative to mullah and ''
akhoond
Akhund (akhoond, akhwand, akhand or akondo) ( fa, آخوند) is a Persian title or surname for Islamic scholars, common in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Azerbaijan. Other names for similar Muslim Scholar include shei ...
'', free of pejorative connotations.
Training and duties
Ideally, a trained mullah will have studied the traditional Islamic sciences not limited to:
* Classical Arabic
** Nahw (syntax)
** Sarf (word morphology)
** Balaaghah (rhetoric)
** Shi'r (poetry)
** Adab (literature)
* Tarikh (history)
* Islamic law (
fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh.
The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...
)
** Rulings pertaining to their school of jurisprudence and the rulings of other schools of jurisprudence
** The principles of jurisprudence pertaining to their school of jurisprudence and the principles of other schools of jurisprudence
** The evidences of their school of thought for principles and rulings, the evidences of others, how they differ and why
* Islamic traditions (
hadith
Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...
)
** Exegesis
** The principles of exegesis
*
Aqidah
''Aqidah'' ( (), plural ''ʿaqāʾid'', also rendered ''ʿaqīda'', ''aqeeda'', etc.) is an Islamic term of Arabic origin that literally means " creed". It is also called Islamic creed and Islamic theology.
''Aqidah'' go beyond concise stat ...
(Islamic creed)
* Mantiq (logic)
* Ilm-ul-Kalaam (philosophy)
* (
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
)
** The meanings of the Quran
** Exegesis
** the principles and rules of Quranic exegesis
*
Tasawwuf
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
(Sufism)
Some mullahs will specialise in certain fields after completing the above foundational studies. Common specialties are:
* Iftah – after which they qualify as a
mufti
A Mufti (; ar, مفتي) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion (''fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatwas'' played an important role ...
and can issue a
fatwa (legal ruling)
* Takhasus fil Hadith – specialisation in hadith studies
* Takhasus fil Aqidah – specialisation in aqidah studies
Such figures often have memorized the Quran and historically would memorise all the books they studied. However in the modern era they instead memorise the founding books of each field (sometimes in the form of poetry to aid memorisation).
Uneducated villagers may frequently classify 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. Three kinds of knowledge are applied most frequently in interpreting Islamic texts (i.e. the Quran, hadiths, etc.) for matters of
Sharia, i.e., Islamic law.
Mullahs have frequently been involved in politics, but only recently have they served in positions of power, since
Islamists
Islamism (also often called political Islam or Islamic fundamentalism) is a political ideology which posits that modern states and regions should be reconstituted in constitutional, economic and judicial terms, in accordance with what is c ...
seized power in Iran in 1979. In Syria, political militant groups supported by the West have taken root.
Dress
![Akhoond 29](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Akhoond_29.jpg)
The dress of a Mullah usually consists of a turban (
''ammāme''), a long coat with sleeves and buttons, similar to a
cassock ( fa, قبا ''
qabā''), and a long gown or cloak, open at the front ( fa, عبا ''abā''). The ''aba'' is usually made either of brown wool or of black muslin. It is sleeveless but has holes through which the arms may be inserted. The turban is usually white, but those who claim descent from the prophet
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...
traditionally wear a black turban.
[Seyyed Behzad Sa'adati-Ni]
''Tarīkhche-ye Lebās-e Rūhānīat'' (The History of Clerical Dress)
. Mehr News, 29 Tir 1394.
See also
*
Allamah
*
Marja'
Marji ( ar, مرجع, transliteration: ''marjiʿ''; plural: ''marājiʿ''), literally meaning "source to follow" or "religious reference", is a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority giv ...
*
Maulana
*
Maulvi
Mawlawi ( ar, مولوي; also spelled Maulvi, Molvi, Moulavi and Mawlvi) is an Islamic religious title given to Muslim religious scholars, or ulama, preceding their names, similar to the titles Mawlānā, Mullah, or Sheikh. Mawlawi generally ...
*
Ulema
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
References
*
External links
*
International Imam Organization{{Authority control
Arabic honorifics
Arabic words and phrases in Sharia
Islamic Persian honorifics
Islamic Urdu honorifics
Religious leadership roles
Titles in Bangladesh