Mullahs (Persian: ملا) are Islamic clergy.
Ideally, they should have studied the Qur'an, Islamic traditions
(hadith), and Islamic law (fiqh). They are often hafiz. However,
uneducated villagers often recognise a literate Muslim with a
less than complete Islamic training as their "mullah" or
religious cleric. Mullahs with varying levels of training lead
prayers in mosques, deliver religious sermons, and perform
religious ceremonies such as birth rites and funeral services.
They also often teach in a type of Islamic school known as a
madrasah. In these respects, they perform duties in Islam
comparable to that of the clergy of other faiths, such as
priests, rabbis, and ministers.
The term is most often applied to Shi'i clerics, as Shi'a Islam
is the predominant tradition in Iran. However, the term is very
common in Urdu, spoken throughout northern India, and it is used
throughout the Indian subcontinent for any Muslim clergy, Sunni
or Shi'i. Muslim clergy in Russia and other former Soviet
republics are also referred to as mullahs, regardless of whether
they are Sunni or Shia.
The term is not used in Arabic-speaking areas, where its nearest
equivalent is shaykh (implying formal Islamic training), imam
(prayer leader; not to be confused with the Imams of the Shiite
world), or `ālim (plural `ūlamā') (scholar; see ulema). In the
Sunni world, the concept of "cleric" is of limited usefulness,
as authority in the religious system is relatively
decentralized.
The term is frequently used in English, although
English-speaking Muslim clergy rarely call themselves mullahs.
It was adopted from Urdu by the British rulers of India and
subsequently came into more widespread use.
Mullahs have frequently been involved in politics, but only
recently have they actually taken power. Mullahs seized power in
Iran in 1979, and later, in Afghanistan under the Taliban
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