Ahmed
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 |  Subject: The Characteristics of a Wali Part 1  Tue Oct 02, 2007 2:10 pm | |
| The Characteristics of a Wali of Allah
Characteristics of a Wali Part 1
[This article is adapted
from the Book "Criterion between the Allies of Allah and the allies of the
Devil" by Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah]
From As-Sunnah Bimonthly
Islamic Newsletter
The word 'Awliya' singular 'wali'
comes from the root word of wilaya. Wilaya is the opposite of enmity (adawaa).
The Wali is therefore the one who is close.
Allah has explained in His Book, and in the Sunnah of His Messenger (sallalahu
alaihe wa-sallam) that He has awliya among the people and that shaitaan also
has his awliya. The Qur'aan mentions the allies of Allah.
"Indeed there is no fear upon the awliya of Allah,
nor shall they grieve; those who believe and used to fear Allah much. For them
are glad tidings in this life and the Hereafter…" [Soorah Yunus
(10): 62]
"Allah is the protector (ally) of those who believe,
He takes them out of darkness into light." [Soorah Baqarah (2):
257]
The allies of devil have also been mentioned in the Qur'aan:
"…As for those who disbelieve, their allies are the
taaghoot who take them out of the light and into the darkness. Those are the
people of fire, and they will be in it forever." [Soorah Baqarah
(2): 257]
"We have made the devils allies of those who do not
believe; those who commit outrages and then say: "We found our predecessors on
this (tradition)" Surely they have taken the devils as allies instead of
Allah, and they think that they are on guidance" [Soorah Al-A'raf
(7): 27-28] After knowing that there are
among people allies of the Merciful and the allies of the devil, it becomes
very important to differentiate between these groups by means of the
criterion, as described by Allah and His Prophet (sallalahu alaihe wa-sallam)
as follows: .
The First and Foremost
Condition of an Ally of Allah - Taqwa and Belief in Allah - No slave can be an ally of
Allah, unless he has the characteristics of faith and pious practices, since
Allah has made faith and piety a pre-condition for His Wilaya. He said:
"Indeed there is no fear upon the awliya of Allah,
nor shall they grieve, those who believe and used to fear Allah much
(i.e. have Taqwa - piety). For them are glad tidings
in this life and the Hereafter…" [Yunus (10): 62]
Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of
Allah (sallalahu alaihe wa-sallam) said:
"Allah, the Exalted said: "Whoever takes a Wali
(loyal slave) of Mine as an enemy, I will wage war on him; and My slave will
not perform any act with which he draws closer to Me, more beloved to Me then
when he fulfills what I have ordained on him; and My salve will keep drawing
closer to Me by performing the Nawafil (voluntary acts of worship) until I
love him, and when I love him, I will be his hearing with which he hears, his
sight with which he sees, his hands with which he strikes, and his legs with
which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him; and if he seeks refuge
with Me, I will grant him refuge." [Saheeh Bukhari]
From this narration and the above-mentioned Qur'aanic verse, we know that the
Awliya of Allah are those who believe in Allah and give Him their full loyalty
Thus, they love all that Allah loves, hate what Allah hates, are pleased with
what Allah is pleased with, despise what Allah despises, they enjoin what
Allah enjoins, forbid that what He forbids, give to those whom Allah loves for
them to be given, and withhold from those whom Allah loves not to receive,
since Prophet (sallalahu alaihe wa-sallam) explained the best handhold of
faith to be love and hate for the sake of Allah: "The
most dependable handhold on faith is: love for the sake of Allah and hatred
for the sake of Allah." [At-Tirmidhee]
"Whoever loves for Allah, hates for Allah, gives for Allah, and withholds for
Allah, has sought the completion of his faith." [Abu Dawood]
Belief (imaan) of necessity entails belief in Allah, His angels, His books,
His Prophets, and the Last Day:
"Say: We believe in Allah and in that which has been
sent to us and in that which was sent to Ibrahim, and Ismail and Ishaq and
Ya'qub, and the tribes and that which was given to Moosa and Isa and that
which was given to the Prophets form their Lord. We do not differentiate
between any of them, and we submit to Allah. And so, if they believe in that
which you believe, they have achieved guidance, but if they turn away, they
are surely in rebellion. Allah will suffice you against them and He is the
all-hearing, the all-knowing." [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 136-137]
"The Prophet has believed in that which is sent to
him from his Lord as have the believers. All of them believe in Allah, His
angels, His books and His Messengers. We do not differentiate between any of
His messengers, and they say: "We hear and we obey. (We seek)Your forgiveness,
our Lord to You is the return (of all). Allah does not burden any soul beyond
his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is
punished for that (evil) which he has earned." [Soorah Baqarah (2):
285-6]
"This is a book in which there is no doubt, a
guidance for those who are pious. Those who believe in the unseen, establish
prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them. Those who believe in
that which was sent down to you and that which was sent down to those before
you, and certainly of faith in the existence of the Hereafter. Such are on a
true guidance from their Lord, and such are the successful."
[Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 1-5]
Thus, a necessary component of faith (eeman) is to believe that Muhammad (sallalahu
alaihe wa-sallam) is the seal of the prophets, and there is no prophet after
him, and that Allah sent him to all of the two possessors of free will: humans
and jinns. From the moment he was made a prophet, Allah made him the criterion
between His allies and His enemies, none are the allies of Allah except one
who believes in Muhammad (sallalahu alaihe wa-sallam) and in that with which
he was sent, and follows it openly and in secret. Whoever claims love of Allah
and alliance with Allah but does not follow the Prophet (sallalahu alaihe
wa-sallam) is not one of the allies of Allah. He is one of the allies of
shaitaan. Allah said:
"Say (O Mohammad) If you truly love Allah, then
follow me so that Allah loves you." [Al-Imraan (3): 31] | |
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