The Quran

Preface

ادعوهُم لِآبائِهِم هُوَ أَقسَطُ عِندَ اللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن لَم تَعلَموا آباءَهُم فَإِخوانُكُم فِي الدّينِ وَمَواليكُم ۚ وَلَيسَ عَلَيكُم جُناحٌ فيما أَخطَأتُم بِهِ وَلٰكِن ما تَعَمَّدَت قُلوبُكُم ۚ وَكانَ اللَّهُ غَفورًا رَحيمًا

Yusuf Ali

Call them by (the names of) their fathers: that is juster in the sight of God. But if ye know not¹ their father’s (names, call them) your Brothers in faith, or your Maulās. But there is no blame on you if ye make² a mistake therein: (what counts is) the intention of your hearts: and God is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

Freedmen were often called after their master’s name as the “son of so and so”. When they were slaves, perhaps their fathers’ names were lost altogether. It is more correct to speak of them as the Mawlā of so and so. But Mawlā in Arabic might also imply a close relationship of friendship: in that case, too, it is better to use the right term instead of the term “son”. “Brother” is not objectionable because “Brotherhood” is used in a wider sense than “fatherhood”, and is not likely to be misunderstood.
What is aimed at is to destroy the superstition of erecting false relationships to the detriment or loss of true blood relations. It is not intended to penalise an unintentional slip in the matter, and indeed, even if a man deliberately calls another his son or father, who is not his son or father, out of politeness or affections, “God is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful”. It is the action of mischievous parties which is chiefly reprehended, if they intend false insinuations. A mere mistake on their part does not matter.