The word mawla, which was used by the Islamic prophet Muhammad about Ali in the Ghadir Khumm speech,[3] is derived from the root و ل ي w-l-y, meaning "to be close to" or "to have power over".
Mawla can have reciprocal meanings, depending on whether it is used in the active or passive voice: "master" Originally, mawāli were clients of an Arab people, but with the advent of Islam, the term came to refer to non-Arab Muslims and other allies.
The institution of wala' as a requirement to enter Muslim society ceased to exist after the fall of the Umayyads, as the Abbasids favoured a universal interpretation of Islam that was not the exclusive religion of the Arab elite.
Abu Hanifa was the founder of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence within Sunni Islam and lived through the Abbasid Revolution.
There have been mentioned meanings for this use of the word "moula", including leader,[4] administrator,[5][6] Lord, owner, master, follower, one who has more right in something, wali, an ally, etc.