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mawali

English translation: mawali / freed slaves

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Arabic term or phrase:mawali
English translation:mawali / freed slaves
Entered by: Corinne Bono

23:52 Apr 24, 2003
Arabic to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - History
Arabic term or phrase: mawali
Hello,

I am aware of the meaning of mawali, but it occured during a discussion we had on the subject that the origin for it was not known to the people around the table and we could not be sure as a result in how to best translate it in our own mother tongues.

Would anyone know how the word came to be?

Thank you :)
Corinne Bono
France
Local time: 15:13
plural of Arabic "maula"
Explanation:
It started during the Umayyad period, when newly-conquered peoples were set free after conversion or after accepting a patron-client relationship with one of the ruling overlords. Typical story of this were the Persians: "a new element in Muslim society, noble and refined, but held apart and altogether inferior to rude but dominant class of Arabian blood. Individuals or families belonging to the subject peoples could only gain a recognised position by attaching themselves to some Arab chief or clan, as mawali (plural of maula), "clients" or adherents; and, though thus dependent, might claim some of the privileges of the ruling faith. But neither here nor elsewhere did they intermarry with the Arabs on equal terms, nor were they, in point of fact, looked upon otherwise than as of inferior caste. Thus though in theory, on becoming Muslims, conquered nations might enter the "equal brotherhood" of Islam, they formed not the less an altogether lower estate. The race and language, ancestral dignity, and political privileges of the Arab hue continued for many generations to be paramount."


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Note added at 2003-04-25 00:28:05 (GMT)
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An interesting link: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/schacht.html
Selected response from:

Parrot
Spain
Local time: 15:13
Grading comment
Thank you parrot, I had come accross this too. I was more interested in finding out how a word could be said to mean master and servant, God and slave, friend and cousin, etc.
This site I had found interesting too, indeed.
An Arabic speaker came forward with the missing link on a different forum, all these descriptions and meanings for the same word, in fact are possible for they all come from a verb meaning "to depend".
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4plural of Arabic "maula"
Parrot


  

Answers


20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
plural of Arabic "maula"


Explanation:
It started during the Umayyad period, when newly-conquered peoples were set free after conversion or after accepting a patron-client relationship with one of the ruling overlords. Typical story of this were the Persians: "a new element in Muslim society, noble and refined, but held apart and altogether inferior to rude but dominant class of Arabian blood. Individuals or families belonging to the subject peoples could only gain a recognised position by attaching themselves to some Arab chief or clan, as mawali (plural of maula), "clients" or adherents; and, though thus dependent, might claim some of the privileges of the ruling faith. But neither here nor elsewhere did they intermarry with the Arabs on equal terms, nor were they, in point of fact, looked upon otherwise than as of inferior caste. Thus though in theory, on becoming Muslims, conquered nations might enter the "equal brotherhood" of Islam, they formed not the less an altogether lower estate. The race and language, ancestral dignity, and political privileges of the Arab hue continued for many generations to be paramount."


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-04-25 00:28:05 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

An interesting link: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/schacht.html

Parrot
Spain
Local time: 15:13
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you parrot, I had come accross this too. I was more interested in finding out how a word could be said to mean master and servant, God and slave, friend and cousin, etc.
This site I had found interesting too, indeed.
An Arabic speaker came forward with the missing link on a different forum, all these descriptions and meanings for the same word, in fact are possible for they all come from a verb meaning "to depend".
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