walī

Also known as saint in Islam, saint (Islam)

The term wali is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".

Wikidata facts

Subclass of: saint
Part of: Sabil Allah
Named after: Sainthood in Islam
Religion: Sufism
Official language: Arabic
Main subject: Sainthood in Islam
Location: world
Image: 010062 Yunus UrduScript.jpg
Said to be same as: murshid
Has use: Tazkiah

Show 11 more facts

facet of: iḥsān
native label: وَلِيُّ اللهِ
writing system: Latin script
described by source: Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān
different from: wali
name in native language: وَلِيُّ اللهِ
vocalized name: وَلِيُّ اللهِ
language of work or name: multiple languages
culture: cultural globalization
Commons category: Wali
commemorates: attributes of God in Islam

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~30 min read

Encyclopedic overview

19 sections

Contents

Names
History
Definitions
Classical testimonies
Seeking of blessings
Types and hierarchy
Sufism
Regional veneration
North Africa
Anatolia, the Balkans, and Caucasus
Reverence of Awliya Allah
See also
References
Notes
Citations
Further reading
Primary
Secondary
External links

The term wali is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".

In the traditional Islamic understanding, a saint is portrayed as someone "marked by [special] divine favor ... [and] holiness", and who is specifically "chosen by God and endowed with exceptional gifts, such as the ability to work miracles". The doctrine of saints was articulated by Muslim scholars very early on in Islamic history, and particular verses of the Quran and certain hadith were interpreted by early Muslim thinkers as "documentary evidence" of the existence of saints. Graves of saints around the Muslim world became centers of pilgrimage – especially after 1200 CE – for masses of Muslims seeking their (blessing).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “walī” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.