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Mawlawi (Arabic:مولوي,romanized: Mawlawī), is anIslamic religious title given to Muslim religious scholars, orulama, preceding their names, similar to the titlesMawlānā,Mullah, orSheikh. Mawlawi generally means a highly qualified Islamic scholar, usually one who has completed full studies in amadrasa (Islamic school) ordarul uloom (Islamic seminary). It is commonly used inIran,Central Asia,South Asia,South East Asia andEast Africa. The word Mawlawi is derived from theArabic wordmawla, which has several meanings, including "lord".
Turkish Mawlawi fraternity ofSufis (Muslim mystics) was founded inKonya (Qonya),Anatolia, by the Persian Sufi poet Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi (d. 1273), whose popular title mawlana (Arabic for "our master") gave the order its name. The order, propagated throughout Anatolia, controlled Konya and environs by the 15th century and in the 17th century appeared inIstanbul.[1]
Although the words Maulvi, Molvi and Maulana are interchangeable in theIndian subcontinent as a title of respect, Maulana is more often associated with formal qualification following study at amadrasa ordarul uloom whereas Maulvi is usually more a general title for religious figures.
In thePakistani and Central Asian context, where Mullah does not carry a formal meaning, "Maulana" or "Maulvi" is often the word of choice for addressing or referring to respected Muslim religious scholars (ulama).
InBangladesh, in thegovernment Aliyah Madrasa system, Maulvi/Moulvi is also associated with formal degrees for those who have passed the course of Maulvi (basic), MaulviAalim (intermediate) or Maulvi Fazil (advanced).
