The Ninety-Nine Names · the 55th name
الْوَلِيّ
Al-Waliyy
The Protecting Friend
- The rootو ل ي
- From the rootwaliya: to be near, to be adjacent; a wali is a near ally, a guardian, a friend who protects
The essay
Wali is not a distant patron. The root means nearness: the one standing next to you, close enough to act. It is the word for the guardian at a marriage, for the ally in a treaty, for the near friend. He is the Protecting Friend of those who believe, bringing them out of darkness into light, and the same word describes what the false powers are not, no matter what they promise.
In the Qur'an
أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوۡلِيَآءَۖ فَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلۡوَلِيُّ وَهُوَ يُحۡيِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٞ
Or have they taken protectors besides Him? Allah is the Protector, and He gives life to the dead, and He is able to do all things.
this Name is in the Qur’an
What it asks of you
Count your protectors honestly, then notice which of them will still be there when it costs them something.
Read beside it