Learn Arabic › B1 › مَوْلَى
مَوْلَى
master, lord /ˈmaw.laː/
nounB1#2495 most common
Also: patron, client (freed slave/ally), guardian, protector
Example sentences
هُوَ مَوْلَايَ.
He is my master.
نَحْنُ نُحِبُّ مَوْلَانَا.
We love our lord.
اللهُ هُوَ مَوْلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا.
God is the protector of those who believe.
كَانَ ذَلِكَ العَبْدُ مَوْلًى لِتِلْكَ الأُسْرَةِ الكَرِيمَةِ.
That slave was a freedman attached to that noble family.
يُلَقَّبُ الشَّيْخُ الصُّوفِيُّ بِـ«مَوْلَانَا» احْتِرَامًا لِمَكَانَتِهِ الرُّوحِيَّةِ.
The Sufi sheikh is given the title 'Mawlana' out of respect for his spiritual standing.
فِي المُجْتَمَعِ العَرَبِيِّ القَدِيمِ، كَانَ المَوْلَى قَدْ يَكُونُ سَيِّدًا أَوْ عَبْدًا مُعْتَقًا أَوْ حَلِيفًا بِحَسَبِ سِيَاقِ اسْتِعْمَالِ الكَلِمَةِ.
In old Arab society, a mawlā could be a lord, a freed slave, or an ally, depending on how the word was used.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | مَوْلَى | مَوَالٍ |
| Genitive | مَوْلَى | مَوَالٍ |
| Accusative | مَوْلَى | مَوَالِيَ |
| Vocative | يَا مَوْلَايَ | يَا مَوَالِيَ |
Word family
وَلِيّguardian, saintوَلاءloyalty, allegiance
تَوَلَّىto take charge of; to turn away
مَوْلَاةmistress, patroness (feminine)
وِلايةgovernorship, guardianship
Etymology
مَوْلَى comes from the Arabic root و-ل-ي (w-l-y), which carries the sense of being near, attached to, or in charge of someone. The word takes the mafʿal pattern, which often forms nouns of place or agency, so it names the person who stands in that close, binding relationship. Because closeness can run in either direction, the same word came to mean both the one who protects and the one who is protected, both master and client.
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