Al-Wali
Allah is Al-Waali, The One who is the sole planner and governor of all things. He is fully supportive, helpful and master of all. He manages and disposes of things at his will based on his judgement.
From the root w-l-y which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to be near, close, nearby to be a friend, helper, supporter, maintainer to defend, guard (lit. friendly dealing) to be in charge, to turn one toward something to be the master, owner, lord
Indeed, We will support Our messengers and those who believe during the life of this world and on the Day when the witnesses will stand. (Quran 40:51)
Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron. (Quran 13:11)
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Name: |
Al-Wali |
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Al-Wali in Arabic |
ٱلْوَلِيُّ |
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Al-Wali Arabic root |
(و ل ي) |
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Al-Wali meaning in English |
The Protecting Friend, The Supporter, The Patron. |
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Al-Wali meaning in Urdu |
بڑا مددگار اور حمايتی |
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Appearance in the Quran |
5 times |
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Tasbeeh |
Recite 46 times on a Friday night to overcome difficulties. |
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Asma ul Husna with similar meaning: |
- Al Wudood: The most loving |
The name Al-Wali means ally, close friend, and the patron. Al-Wali is derived from the root (و ل ي), and four meanings can be inferred from the root. The first meaning is a friend and an ally. The second meaning is the defender and guardian. The third meaning is the being others turn towards (for example, in times of hardship), and lastly, the fourth meaning of Al-Wali is the master or lord.
In the Holy Quran, there are 12 different contexts in which Wali has been used. The linguistic understanding of the word Wali suggests that it was derived from the root word of wilaya, which means guardian. The word Wali is the singular of the word Awliyaa. The name Al-Wali encompasses multiple attributes of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), which include the one who is most near, the protector, the most loving, and the guardian of all. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) mentions that He is Al-Wali in the Holy Quran in the following verses:
اَمِ اتَّخَذُوْا مِنْ دُوْنِہٖۗ اَوْلِيَاۗءَ۰ۚ فَاللہُ ہُوَالْوَلِيُّ وَہُوَ يُـحْيِ الْمَوْتٰى۰ۡوَہُوَ عَلٰي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ۹ۧ
"Or have they taken protectors [or allies] besides him? But Allah – He is the Protector" (Quran, 42:9).
Al-Wali is one of the gentle attributes of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). It explains that Allah is the best ally, protector, friend, guardian, and defender one can have. In the Quran, Allah says that He loves each and every one of His creations 70 times more than their mother loves them. He has power over everything, and when He is our ally, who else do we really need?
Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), as the Guardian, has the power to protect us from harm. Not only that, He is also the guardian of the world. He has created this world to sustain us in manners we cannot comprehend. From the phytoplankton in the sea creating oxygen vital for the atmosphere to the sun suspended in space providing essential light and warmth, the universe depends on Allah's will to exist in a perfect manner. Al-Wali is the one who provides nutrition to a snail inside a shell, and He is the one who provides assistance to those who devote themselves to Him through his never-ending love and mercy. The remembrance of this name, Al-Wali, invokes a deeper sense of belonging and a connection that one feels towards their Creator.
The significance of the name Al-Wali and Allah's attribute of being a friend and ally can be witnessed in the life of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), Prophet Yusuf (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), Prophet Eesa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), Prophet Musa (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ), and other Prophets and persons of faith. A friend or guardian is one that a person turns to regardless of the kind of things they are experiencing in their life. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) lost his parents in his early childhood. He was persecuted by his clan, and the closest to him were his enemies. Time and again, the loss of people he loved in his family made him alone, but he turned to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) as his constant companion.
Similarly, it was only Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) who Prophet Yusuf (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) had turned to and made the prayer that "You are my protector in this world and in the Hereafter" (Qur'an 12:101). This supplication also demonstrates that only Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is the true guardian, patron, and friend. He is the one who we cannot encompass or envision, but He is evident to us through His signs. No one is not in His sight. Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) has not forsaken His creation, and it is Him only we have to turn to regardless of what the times are because it is to Him that we truly belong.
The name Al-Wali extends beyond the meanings of a guardian and a protector. It reflects on how close one is to their Creator that He is a friend that one can have through a strong divine connection and bonding. Nothing remains hidden from Allah's sight, and He is a friend who is always there beyond the dimensions of time and space. One of the Hadis se Qudsi, where Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) describes His relation with a believer, shows that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) reminds us that He is close to us more than we can image.
The hadith is: Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said: Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it. I do not hesitate about anything as much as I hesitate about [seizing] the soul of My faithful servant: he hates death, and I hate hurting him. (Hadith 25, 40 Hadith Qudsi).
Al-Wali is the 77th name of Allah. Other names of Allah that have similar meanings as Al-Wali, which means the guardian, friend, protector, etc., are Al-Wudood, which means the most loving, and Al-Kabeer, which means the preserver and all-protecting.
In the Quran, Allah has mentioned Himself as the ally of those who believe in Him and Prophet Muhammad. Ally is an interchangeable word used for a friend, and this has been mentioned in the following verse in the Quran: "And whoever is an ally of Allah and His Messenger and those who have believed – indeed, the party of Allah – they will be the predominant" (Qur'an 5:56).
Being on the path of righteousness is that of being enlightened by the light of the faith. Allah is Al-Wali, a friend of those who believe in Him. The verses of the Quran mention Allah as the friend or ally of those who put in Him their faith and follow what He has ordained for us. This is mentioned in the Quran in Surah Baqarah in the following words: "Allah is the ally of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into the light. And those who disbelieve – their allies are Taghut. They take them out of the light into darkness. Those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein" (Qur'an 2:257).
Another verse that reiterates the message that Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is on the side of those who believe and live up to what He has made the five pillars of faith is "Your ally is none but Allah and [therefore] His Messenger and those who have believed – those who establish prayer and give zakah, and they bow [in worship]" (Qur'an 5:55).