Adil Najam
The media is full of “Maulana” Sufi Mohammed and “Maulana” Fazlullah.
All the television news channels are falling over themselves inserting the “Maulana” honorific not only to these two, but to everyone in their coterie.
Makes me wonder, how do you become a “Maulana“?
I mean this as serious question. Is there a process? A certification agency? An exam of some sort? A public process? The coming together of popular sentiment? What? And, how?
We as a society take honorifics seriously. As we should. Visiting Pakistan, I still get unnerved being called “Professor Sahib” and “Daktor Saab.” (Even more so since I suspect that people think that the later is somehow more important than the former!)
I understand that honorifics are an important cultural recognition. I also realize that sometimes they are simply terms of endearment bestowed by one’s fans or supporters. But they can also be publicity stunts for attaining false public credence. In the case of Aamir Liaquat Hussain (Alim OnLine) and his fake degrees, we also know that the repeated use of fake titles can, in fact, sway public opinion.
I had always assumed that there was a sense of intellectual contribution, maybe even piety, being attributed by the title of “Maulana.” I think many Pakistanis still assume so. Yet, it does not seem that many who have adorned with the title recently can make a claim to either.
My honest question merely wishes to figure out how these religious titles are being bestowed today. I assume that for such a title, there must be some criteria or process. Or is it self-proclaimed or based on looks alone? If so, is it now OK to call all the cabin crew on PIA whose facial hair is being targetted as “Maulana”?
I wonder if by throwing the title of “Maulana” on everyone, our media is actually diluting the value of the title? Demeaning the achievements of those who actually deserve it? Most importantly are they not giving “Islam a bad name” to the world at large by turning every gun-totting bearded guy like Fazlullah into a “Maulana”!
(Interestingly, till the writing of this, Wikipedia - which must never be fully trusted – calls Fazlullah a “Maulana” but Sufi Mohammad is not one in the headline, although he is in the text. Yet another reason not to take Wikipedia seriously)!
I want to make a little correction to my earlier comment, which was based on the feedback of a madrassa student. Today, I walked into the nearby madrassa and talked to a faculty member (the principal was not available) and asked him how does one become a certified Maulana? So, this is from the horse
Maula (mawlA), Maulana (mawlAnA) and Maulvi (mawlawy) are the words of Arabic origin. In Urdu we have words from different origins but these words when they are used in Urdu, they are not used in the same sense as in the original language.
In Arabic mawlA is used to indicate the master the authority and powerful. For a slave, his master is his mawlA. For many believers mawlA Ali is the master. But the supreme mawlA is the God Himself. So, to become a mawlA is not an easy job. That is why we do not come across a mawlA in Pakistani society or in Urdu literature except
Maulana or not!
THERE IS NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION! AL-QURAN: SO ‘ Y’ DON’T THE MUSLIMS GET IT?
“God Will not change the condition of a people
until they first change what is in their hearts”
AS MUSLIMS WE MUST FIRST ASK OURSELVES WHY WE DON”T FOLLOW THE QURAN OURSELVES.
MUSLIMS ARE QUICK TO CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE THE FIRST RIGHT OVER EVERYONE ELSE. I ASK! WHO GAVE THEM THIS RIGHT & COMPLEX?!
MUSLIMS HAVE CHOSEN TO BELIEVE IN EVERYTHING EXCEPT WHAT THE QURAN TELLS THEM.
DO THEY NOT WONDER HOW THE WORLD SEE’S THEM? MERELY AS WARRING PEOPLE QUITE OPPOSITE TO THE PEACE AND BROTHERHOOD THAT THEY CLAIM TO BELIEVE.
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT TERRORISM HAS NO RELIGION THEN WHAT WOULD YOU CALL THE SUCIDE BOMBERS
Maulana used to be a title given to scholars of Persian and Arabic.
In the Indo pak subcontinent a maulana is supposed to be a pious person. You need not have to go to any institute to earn a maulana`s title or degree, although people going to registered Madarsas in the Indo pak sub continent Indonesia and Egypt etc can graduate and earn a maulvi`s certificate. If this maulvi becomes a public figure of importance then he is elevated to the rank of a maulana by the public,media etc.
Maulana`s are not necessarily extremists, eg Maulana Mohammad ali Jauhar never went to any college to earn a maulana`s degree, he went to Aligarh and then on to Lincoln`s Inn at Oxford.He got the title of Maulana out of respect. The maulana`s that Adil has mentioned got the title because the public feared them not respected them
Depends on nuttyness….Measured along the lines of how much u can crucify logic and common sense in your arguments…
(Now some people may assume that I am a Maulana…Maulana Nihari)
I think Salman Adil correctly pointed out the ‘authentic’ basis behind these titles. These titles mean something, and are earned, theoretically, by serious study and pious behavior.
The reality is very different. I would like to expand on an example given earlier in the discussion, that of fake doctors. We are all aware of such charlatans, who exploit poor people by pretending to be what they are not. The harm they have done is substantial, but it is not as widespread because a sizable proportion of our population considers their health important and exerts efforts in ascertaining the authenticity of their claims. Unfortunately, religion is either not important for many in Pakistan, therefore, there is no need for experts, many of us interpret it individually.
Yet, when we are unwell, we exert efforts to get to the best doctor, and once we are assured about his credentials only then do we put our lives in their hands. The current situation, where anyone can proclaim honorifics, is a direct result of our casual approach to religion, if we considered it a serious matter we would search for the learned scholars to learn from. And if that is done then it would not be easy for people to claim these titles undeservedly.
A very good and timely article which led to very informative discussion. I wonder however they forgot a once notorious Moulvi who had sentenced ZAB to death. I mean Moulvi Mushtaq. He was called Moulvi being a graduate of law from the Aligarh University perhaps. I also find some lawyers called Moulvies today even. Interestingly, a lawyer of Atak (formerly Cmpbellpur), named Ain Fatmi, claimed himself to be a ‘Rasool’ but was murdered (not martyred) for doing so a few years ago. In fact, our takfiri society, does not spare those even who give a title of ‘Nabi’ to someone, though they use the titles of Moulana, Allama, Shaheed, etc. so freely. They revere the title of ‘Sher’ (lion or tiger) , a ravenous beast, but hate to be called a donkey. Why?
Keeping in view his exploits, I would suggest the title of ‘tiger’ for Faz-Lullah instead of Moulana. What our media says?
@Sadiq, Dilawar Raees and D_A_N
Yes you gentlemen have a point and I fully agree with you, I was merely pointing out the fact that in Pakistan any “neem hakeem” can call himself a doctor and open up a clinic anywhere and start practising medicine, by doing so he is NOT breaking any laws of Pakistan. We are talking about a population which is hell bent on letting the whole world know what fine specimens of Islam they are, so I think in such a society titles like Moulana or Mullah have no importance what so ever, yes they might know more about Islam than I do, but I am not going to lose any sleep over it