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Walayah
Guardianship in Islam / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Welayah or Walaya (Arabic: وَلاية, meaning "guardianship" or "governance") is a general concept of the Islamic faith and a key word in Shia Islam that refers, among other things, to the nature and function of the Imamate.[1]
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Welayah is something that can be granted to a person, community, or country that confers authority/guardianship to the wali (a person who has welayah) that they can exercise on behalf of someone else. For example, in fiqh, a father is wali of his children. The term wali holds a special importance in Islamic spiritual life and it is used with various meanings that relate to its different functions, including:
- Next of kin
- Ally
- Friend
- Helper
- Guardian
- Patron
- Saint
In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu l-Lāh[2] can 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
"In the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate: Only God is your wali and his messenger and those who believe, establish worship, and pay the poor due while bowing down (in prayer)."[Quran 5:55]