Al-Waliyy
Allah is Al-Waliy, The true protector. He is supportive and loves his servants protecting them from evil. Allah wants victory for us and will guide mankind towards the path of righteousness.
From the root w-l-y which has the following classical Arabic connotations: to be near, close, nearby to be a friend, helper, supporter to defend, guard (lit. friendly dealing) to be in charge, to turn one toward something to be the master, owner, lord.
And Allah is most knowing of your enemies;
and sufficient is Allah as an ally, and sufficient is Allah as a helper. (Quran 4:45)
Indeed, my protector is Allah, who has sent down the Book;
and He is an ally to the righteous. (Quran 7:196)
And it is He who sends down the rain after they had despaired and spreads His mercy. And He is the Protector, the Praiseworthy. (Quran 42:28)
Indeed, they will never avail you against Allah at all. And indeed, the wrongdoers are allies of one another;
but Allah is the protector of the righteous. (Quran 45:19)
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Name: |
Al-Waliyy |
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Al-Waliyy in Arabic: |
الوليّ |
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Al-Waliyy Pronunciation: |
Al-Wa-liu |
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Arabic root: |
(و ل ي) |
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Al-Waliyy meaning in English: |
The Protecting Associate, The Protecting Friend, The Supporter, The Patron. |
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Al-Waliyy meaning in Urdu: |
بڑا مددگار اور حمايتی |
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Appearance in the Quran: |
15 times |
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Al-Waliyy Benefits: |
Reciting this name helps to make a Muslim closer to Allah |
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Tasbeeh: |
Make a habit of reciting it at any time of the day or throughout the day. It is especially beneficial for Insha’Allah protecting a home from any calamity, burglary, etc |
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Asma ul Husna with similar meaning: |
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Al-Waliyy means the True Protector, which is an Attribute of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). He loves His subjects and fully supports them, protecting them from all evils. Moreover, this name also means that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) wants the best for us and for us to be successful. With this, He wants to guide us towards righteousness and the straight path.
The name ‘Al-Waliyy’ comes from the root letters waw-lam-ya (و ل ي). This root holds the following connotations in classical Arabic: to defend, to be a friend, helper, guard, owner, to turn one towards something, lord, supporter, etc. In this way, we might understand Al-Waliyy to mean that Allah is our closest friend and ally.
We may better understand the name ‘Al-Waliyy’ by looking at the concept of awliya in Islam. The awliya are those people who we consider to be very close to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). Awliya is the plural of ‘wali,’ which also means friend or ally. We may find references to such pious people in the Holy Qur’an:
وَمَن يَتَوَلَّ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ فَإِنَّ حِزۡبَ ٱللَّهِ هُمُ ٱلۡغَٰلِبُونَ
English Translation:
"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)
Here is a hadith-e-Qudsi that also talks about the awliya of Allah:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Verily Allah ta’ala has said: ‘Whosoever shows enmity to a wali (friend) of Mine, then I have declared war against him. And My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved to Me than the religious duties I have obligated upon him. And My servant continues to draw near to me with nafil (supererogatory) deeds until I Love him. When I Love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, and his sight with which he sees, and 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 seek refuge with Me, I would surely grant him refuge.’” [Sahih al-Bukhari 6502 & Hadith #38 an-Nawawi]
With the understanding of the name ‘Al-Waliyy,’ we can properly realize the possibility of being a friend of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). We can read stories about the awliya and realize that this status is also possible for us.
Now, the question arises of how we can achieve this status ourselves. While the answer is a simple one, carrying out the practice can be tough. How we can become a Wali of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is to do the following:
In the verses of the Quran, ‘Waliyy’ is used in the meaning of being an ally or working partner whose goal is the believer’s success. It also refers to protection, guardianship, ruling, or authority. Some verses that refer to these meanings include:
وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي يُنَزِّلُ ٱلۡغَيۡثَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا قَنَطُواْ وَيَنشُرُ رَحۡمَتَهُۥۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡوَلِيُّ ٱلۡحَمِيدُ
English Translation:
"And it is He who sends down the rain after they had despaired and spreads His mercy. And He is the Protector, the Praiseworthy."— (Qur'an 42:28)
إِنَّ وَلِـِّۧيَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِي نَزَّلَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَۖ وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
English Translation:
"Indeed, my protector is Allah, who has sent down the Book, and He is an ally to the righteous."— (Qur'an 7:196)
We can use this name throughout our daily life. One way is to keep reciting it all day or whenever we remember. Insha’Allah, this recitation can help us get closer to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). It can also help us not forget to try and become a wali of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى).
While talking to our family and especially children, we can mention how Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is our one True Friend. For instance, someone might feel like his or her friends aren’t sincere with them. We may draw hope and inspiration from the name Al-Waliyy and think about how the Prophet Yusuf عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was separated from his father at a very young age. The same is true for the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). They were also persecuted and betrayed by the people they considered their friends–uncles, brothers, etc. Both the prophets responded by turning only to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) in every case. We also have Hazrat Yusuf’s dua in the Qur’an:
أَنتَ وَلِىِّۦ فِى ٱلدُّنْيا
"You are my protector in this world and in the Hereafter." (Qur'an 12:101)
If we truly believe that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) is our true Friend, we will not have expectations from mere humans. We will be content in believing that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) will grant us proper protection and care when He sees fit.
If we were in the inner circle of a mighty king or celebrity, we would feel critical and proud. Imagine how much better it would be to become one of the closest people to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), the King of Kings.
We also regard a friend as someone who won’t break our trust. If we are to become a friend of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى), we should also believe that He will not leave us stranded. With this, we need to engage in actions that will raise our ranks and get us close to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) in this world and the next.
Since the name Al-Waliyy denotes a friend, supporter, and ally, we can use it for a person’s name as well. A human may have these attributes as well as Allah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), though the all-encompassing form of this characteristic remains with Him alone.
The names of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) that are the closest to Al-Waliyy include Al-Hafiz, Al-Wakeel, and Al-Muqsit.
Al-Hafiz means ‘The Guarding One’, so it links with Al-Waliyy in the sense of guardianship. Like a person guards his wards, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) also guards His subjects and protects them from harm. He is the One we should turn to for all sorts of protection and safety.
Al-Wakeel denotes the attribute of being a trustee. We trust a lawyer with our important affairs; similarly, we should also entrust Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) will all the nuances of our lives. He is the One who decides, and His decision is the best.
We also have Al-Muqsit, which pertains to the Justice of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). Whatever decision Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) takes, it is just and fair. It is the best path for our success.
إِنَّهُمۡ لَن يُغۡنُواْ عَنكَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيۡـٔٗاۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ بَعۡضُهُمۡ أَوۡلِيَآءُ بَعۡضٖۖ وَٱللَّهُ وَلِيُّ ٱلۡمُتَّقِينَ
English Translation:
"Indeed, they will never avail you against Allah at all. And indeed, the wrongdoers are allies of one another; but Allah is the protector of the righteous."— (Qur'an 45:19)
ٱللَّهُ وَلِيُّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ يُخۡرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ أَوۡلِيَآؤُهُمُ ٱلطَّـٰغُوتُ يُخۡرِجُونَهُم مِّنَ ٱلنُّورِ إِلَى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِۗ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ أَصۡحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِۖ هُمۡ فِيهَا خَٰلِدُونَ
English Translation:
"Allah is the ally of those who believe. He brings them out from darknesses into the light. And those who disbelieve – their allies are Taghut. They take them out of the light into darknesses. Those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein."— (Qur'an 2:257)
إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤۡتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَهُمۡ رَٰكِعُونَ
English Translation:
"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)