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1 The greatest of the auliyaa of Allah are the angels and messengers and then the prophets. After them come the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They believed in Allah and obeyed Him. They sacrificed for the sake of Allah under the most difficult of times and they supported Allah's messenger. Allah has declared His approval of them. After the Companions would come the true and sincere scholars of Islam. These are the "heirs of the Prophet" (peace be upon him). They act upon their knowledge. They also pass that knowledge on to others. They order what is right and eradicate what is evil. One of the early pious people said about the scholars, "If they are not the auliyaa of Allah, then there are no auliyaa of Allah."2 Allah has said about them, [. ,....., .., J .... J ,.. .... .... ... ,; ΀_);΁\ \)Jt »1\j ࣱ l®I૥ u.11 ΂\ ࣲ_;.; "Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe and those who have been granted knowledge" (al-Mujaadilah 1 1). Allah Defends, Protects and Supports His Auliyaa If a person is a wali ("close friend") of Allah, that, in turn, means that Allah is also his wali. This is because wali implies closeness and something cannot be close to something else without that other object also being close. Hence, both Allah and His wali become close to each other. 3 Hence, Allah is the protector and wali of anyone who is His devoted servant and wali. This fact is explicitly stated by Allah in the Quran. Allah says, .... '- J .... J J / ·.'i'°"1/ -4( JI / 1 1s(1 / . J J ... J 0\ ঴\; - .,J .:·f'°"1 !.΃J/ J·. 1 .... \ ._:_f..Ƹ J -!r i • , - , " ர  ঽfaJ ୨ -.._.1-র LS: ,..,. / / / 1 Cf., Mubaarak al-Meeli, Risaalah al-Shirk wa Mudhaahiruhu (Alexandria, Egypt: Maktaba al­ Imaan, n.d.), p. 1 22. 2 Quoted in al-Shaukaani, Qatr, p. 307. 3 Cf., al-Raazi, vol. 5, p. 1 1 . 1 134 Hadith #38: "Whoever Shows Enmity to . . . " "Allah is the Protecting Friend (wali) of those who believe. He brings them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons (auliyaa) are false deities. They bring them out of light into darkness. Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein" (al-Baqara 257). Allah will protect His auliyaa in return for their observance of His laws, commands and prohibitions. Incorrect and Heretical Concepts of Who is a WaH According to Laub, the above concept of wali was well-known and accepted among Muslims before the appearance of some heretical groups, in particular the Sufis. 1 This fact is admitted by some modem Sufi writers. 2 However, the Sufis did not confine their beliefs to the above aspects that are confirmed in the Quran and sunnah. One of the mistakes of many of the Sufis is that they have confined this wide Quranic concept of wali of Allah and have claimed that the auliyaa of Allah are but a few special people. According to the correct Islamic beliefs, the most superior of the auliyaa of Allah are the prophets and messengers of Allah and, after them, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). But many Sufis have come up with the strange idea that wali of Allah is a special rank. One poet stated, "The position of the wali in barzakh3 is below the messengers and above the prophets." Al-Qushairi, in his well-known Risaalah, a standard work for many Sufis, states that the wali worships Allah in such a way that there is no slip or gap for any act of disobedience whatsoever.4 La uh' s extensive research in this area has made him conclude that their goal is to raise the wali to the position of some kind of demi-god. People then serve him and worship him. 5 Among some Sufis is the belief that, besides being superior to the prophets, the auliyaa also have all of the attributes of 1 Hilaal points out that the distortion of the meaning of the term wali started first among the Shiah and was adopted and distorted further by the Sufis. This is just one of the areas in which there is a historical close bond between the Shiahs and the Sufis. For more on this point, see Ibraaheem Hilaal, Introduction to al-Shaukaani, Qatr, pp. 76-1 1 7; Ihsaan Ilaahi Dhaheer, Al­ Tasawwuf: al-Mansha wa al-Masaadir (Lahore, Pakistan: Idaarah Tarjumaan al-Sunnah, 1986), f p. 1 37-275. Laub quotes Abu al-Alaa Afeefi to substantiate his claim. See Muhammad Lauh, Taqdees al­ Ashkhaas fl al-Fikr al-Soofi (al-Thuqbah, Saudi Arabia: Daar al-Hijrah, 1996), vol. I , p. 52. 3 Barzakh is one's life during the time between one's worldly death and the Day of Resurrection. 4 Abdul Kareem al-Qushairi, Al-Risaalah al-Qushairiyyah (Cairo: Daar al-Kutub al-Hadeetha, n.d.), pp. 420-421 . Lauh (vol. 1, pp. 57-59) quotes many Sufis who made similar statements.