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'{{short description|Muslim title}} {{Refimprove|date=January 2016}} {{Usul al-fiqh}} '''Mawlānā''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ɔː|ˈ|l|ɑː|n|ə}}; from [[Arabic]] {{lang|ar|مولانا}}, literally "our lord/our Creator (Allah)")<ref>defined in the ''[[Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic]]'' as "a form of address to a sovereign"</ref> is a title, mostly in [[Central Asia]] and in the [[Indian subcontinent]], preceding the name of respected [[Muslim]] religious leaders, in particular graduates of religious institutions, e.g. a [[madrassa]] or a [[darul uloom]], or scholars who have studied under other Islamic scholars. == Other uses == Although the word is derived from the Arabic word ''[[mawla]]'', it adopted different meanings as it travelled from [[Arabia]] to [[Persia]], [[Turkey]], [[Africa]] and the Indian subcontinent. === Persian use=== In Iran and Turkey the word normally refers to ''[[Rumi]]'' (Persian pronunciation ''Mowlana'') (Turkish pronunciation ''Mevlana''). === Africa === This word has been borrowed into the [[Swahili language|Swahili]] language, where it is used also as a title of respect for revered members of a community, religious or secular, roughly equivalent to the English "Sir". In the mostly Muslim region of [[West Africa]], the root has been proposed as a source for the words ''Mallam'' ([[Hausa language]]) and ''Maame'' ([[Wolof language]]), which are used to denote Islamic scholars, or in areas practising [[folk Islam]] or [[folk magic]], a local [[shaman]]. Among the Hausas the word ''Mallam'' is additionally used as equivalent of English ''Mr''. A more likely explanation for this word (and for the Swahili ''mwalimu'') is the Arabic word ''mu'allim'' ({{lang|ar|معلم}}), which in [[Moroccan Arabic]] is pronounced "m'allam" and means ‘teacher’ or ‘master’ in a Qur'anic school. == Difference in titles ''Mullah'' and ''Maulvi'' among Muslims in South Asia == In the Central Asian and South Asian / Indian subcontinent context, where "Mullah" does not carry a formal sense, ''Maulana'' is often the word of choice for addressing or referring to Muslim religious scholars that are respected, while ''Mullah'' is used often derogatorily for people the speaker considers to be more rabble-rousers than scholars. Although the words ''Maulvi'' and ''Maulana'' are interchanged in the Indian Subcontinent as a title of respect, ''Maulana'' is more often associated with formal qualification following study at a [[madrassa]] or [[darul uloom]] and ''[[Maulvi]]'' is usually more a general title for religious figures. In [[Bangladesh]], in the government Aliyah madrassa system, ''Maulvi'' is also associated with formal degrees for those who have passed the course of ''Maulvi'' (basic), ''Maulvi Alim'' (intermediate) or ''Maulvi Fazil'' (advanced). ==See also== *[[Islamic term|Glossary of Islam]] *[[Marabout]], West African religious teachers *[[Mawlawi (Islamic title)|Mawlawi]] *[[Mullah]] *[[Sheikh]] ==References== <references /> {{DEFAULTSORT:Mawlana}} [[Category:Arabic words and phrases]] [[Category:Islamic honorifics]] [[Category:Religious leadership roles]]'