Mulla

Mulla is a title used in several Muslim-majority regions to denote an educated religious scholar or teacher. The term derives from Persian مولّا (mollā), from Arabic mawla, and is cognate with the Turkish molla and Urdu mullah.

In everyday use, a mulla may be a local imam, a teacher of religious sciences, a judge in some communities, or a cleric with authority over a mosque or school. In Iran and Afghanistan, as well as in South Asia, “mulla” or “mullah” is common; in some places the term is nearly synonymous with “cleric.” In other contexts, the honorific can be used for a respected elder or elder-statesman within a religious community. The spelling varies: mulla, mullah, mullā, or mollah.

A related figure in folklore is Mulla Nasruddin (also Nasreddin Hodja), a comic sage whose name uses the title mulla; his stories exist across the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Central Asia.

The term should be distinguished from “mufti” (a legal scholar who issues fatwas) or “maulana” (a larger title often used for higher-level scholars). In modern political discourse, “mullah” is a widely used term for regional religious leaders in Iran and other countries, and can carry political connotations depending on context.

As a surname or place name, Mulla also appears in various languages, but this usage is less common and not standardized.