Wali

Wali

Walī (Arabic: ولي‎, plural Awliyā' أولياء), is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "helper", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" (authority or guardianship) over somebody else. For example, in fiqh, a father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu l-Lāh can be used to denote one vested with the "authority of God":

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ إِنَّمَا وَلِيُّكُمُ اللّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاَةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ رَاكِعُونَ
Only Allah is your Vali and His Messenger and those who believe, those who keep up prayers and pay the poor-rate while they bow. —Quran, sura 5 (Al-Ma'ida), ayah 55

In English, wali most often means a Muslim saint or holy person. It should not be confused with the different word wāli (والي) which is an administrative title that means magistrate and is still used today in some Muslim countries, such as the Wali of Swat.

Read more about Wali:  Sunni Islam, Use in Tasawuf/Sufism, Shia Term, Salafi