Walayah

[5] Accordingly, walayah sometimes represent the sense of assistance, alliance or nusrah, while wilayah invariably denotes the idea of power, authority, or sultan.

The word holds a special importance in Islamic spiritual life and it is used with various meanings, which relate to its different functions, which include: “next of kin, ally, friend, helper, guardian, patron, and saint.”[7] The eternal prophetic reality has two aspects: exoteric and esoteric.

In its connotation of sainthood, the word describes an innate sense of selflessness and separation from one's own wants in favor of awareness of being “under the dominion of the all-living, self-subsistent one and of the need to acquire nearness to the necessarily existent being – which is God.”[8] There are several kinds of walayah: According to Hamid Algar, the first definition of wali came from Abu’l-Qāsem Qošayrī (d. 467 Hijri/1074–1075 CE), who said that wali has two kinds of meanings: passive and active: On the other hand, some mystics, such as Najm-al-dīn Dāya, define welayah according to the concept of love and friendship.

[14] Imams or awliya all make up the long chain of the Friends of God who carry and transmit the divine covenant or welayah.

[15] Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi believes that it is the very word welayah itself that denotes the ontological-theological status of the Imam.

[19] Corbin states that walayah is the foundation of the prophecy and the mission of the messenger;[20] it concerns the esoteric dimension of the prophetic reality.

[21] Abu al-Hasan Sharif Isfahani, a student of Muhammad Baqir Majlisi, by many hadith argues that "the walayah is the inner, esoteric meaning (batin) of the Qur'anic Revelation.

[27] The verse implies that Allah and His prophet is the wali and hold authority over the Muslims, and the believers must accept their wila.

[42] Shia argue that salvation comes though practice of walayah to the ahl al-Bayt,[43] and an intention of love is required for the acceptance of every religious act.

Many hadith from imams state that "the first thing about which a man is questioned after his death is his love for ahl al-Bayt.

Without the knowledge of Allah and divine revelation, man will be trapped in ta'til (agnosticism) and tashbih (anthropomorphism).

[49] By this Muhammadan light, the imam leads society, propagates the religion, and guides spiritual life.

[53] The concept of walayah is present at the early Shia history, which indicates the legitimacy of Alids and an allegiance to ahl al-Bayt.

The term derives from a statement of the Prophet at Ghadir Khumm, in which he reportedly designated Ali as the mawla or wali of the believers.

[55] Walayah implies a state of full devotion to ahl al-Bayt and a recognition of their exclusive right to legitimate leadership of the community.

[57] Walayah as one of the fundamentals of Islam, derived from Ghadir Khum traditions by al-Baqir, originates at this time[58] and it is presented as the essence of the religion in this period.

[11] States People Centers Other Walayah or walayat is a pillar of Shia Islam specifically in Isma'ilism and Druze denoting: "love and devotion for God, the Prophets, the Imam and the dai."

There is a famous incident mentioned amongst the writings of Dawoodi Bohra that confirms how Ismaili interpret the principle of walayah.

An order was issued by the 19th Da'i al-Mutlaq, Syedna Idris Imad al-Din, to his Wali al-Hind, Moulai Adam, to follow a person named Sakka.

Moulai Adam, along with his followers, willingly performed prayer behind Sakka, who was a simple water carrier by trade.

[63] Qadi al-Nu'man, a famous Muslim jurist of the Fatimid period, identifies walaya, the concept that God's authority must always have a representative in creation, as the most important pillar of Islam, that “imbues all other pillars with meaning and efficacy.” In his work The Foundation of Symbolic Interpretation (Asas al-Tawil) he talks about the history of walaya throughout the lives of the prophets and the succession of imams from the time of Adam to Muhammad.

The first step in sainthood is indicated in the Qur'an verse (2:257): God is He Who loves, guards and directs those who believe; He has led them out of all kinds of darkness into the light, and keeps them firm therein.and also in (10:62): Know well that the confidants (saintly servants) of God—there will be no reason for them to fear (both in this world and the next, for they shall always find My help and support with them), nor shall they grieve.

[8] In the Qur'an, walaya is expressed in the Sura al-Kahf's fable of the rich but immoral owner of two gardens and his poor but pious companion.