The word mawlā can be used for relationships described as upper and lower in the classical law of manumission and patronage (walāʾ). The two relationships point in different directions.
If a person bequeaths property to his mawālī, and both sorts of related persons are present, the expression may lack a decisive clue as to which group is intended.
The existence of the same word for two distinct relationships is not sufficient to make both groups the necessary beneficiaries of a single utterance.
In the example discussed, the lack of a defensible preferred sense creates a legal difficulty for implementing the bequest.