76 - الْوَالِي

[Bint e Aisha]

الْوَالِي

 

 

Translation

الْوَالِي is translated as The Sole Governor and The Friendly Lord. It means The Ruler in terms of organization, planning, implementing, preserving etc.

 

Definition

It is The One Who plans the affairs of the creation, rules them and takes charge of them. The connotation is in terms of government organization. In Hajj there is a person called a “Mutawalli.” He is the person who takes care of all the affairs of the Hujjaaj. He organizes and takes care of and directs the Hujjaaj. This is what this name means.

 

In the Qur’an

It is mentioned once in Surah Ra’ad, verse 11, 

وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۚ وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ دُونِهِ مِنْ وَالٍ 
 

If Allah wants to afflict a people with misfortune, none can ward it off, nor they can find any protector besides Him.

 

All systems are in the power, rule and protection of Allah ta’ala and that is Allah ta’ala being الْوَالِي and we can entrust الْوَالِي to solve our worries and problems.

 

 

Story Regarding Abdullah bin Zubayr (Radiyallahu anhu)

When Zubair (radiyallahu anhu) prepared for the battle of Jamal, he called his son Abdullah RA and said, “O my son! Today one will be killed either as an oppressor or as an oppressed one. I see that I will be killed as an oppressed one. My biggest worry is my debts. Do you think, if we pay the debts, there will be something left for us from our money?” Zubair (radiyallahu anhu) added, “O my son! Sell our property and pay my debts.” Thereafter he willed his property and said, 

 

“If you should fail to pay part of the debts, appeal to my Master to help you.” Abdullah RA did not understand what his father meant so he asked, “O father! Who is your Master?” His father replied, “Allah (is my Master).”

 

Abdullah bin Zubayr RA said, “By Allah, whenever I had any difficulty regarding his debts, I would say, ‘Master of Zubayr! Pay his debts on his behalf .’ and Allah would (help me to) pay it.”

Zubayr RA was martyred leaving no Dinar or Dirham but two pieces of land, one of which was (called) Al-Ghaba, and eleven houses in Madeenah, two in Basra, one in Kufa and one in Egypt. In fact, the source of the debt which he owed was that if somebody brought some money to him for safekeeping Zubayr RA would say, “No, (I won’t keep it as a trust), but I take it as a debt, for I am afraid it might be lost.”

 

In Du’a

The debt was paid due to his trust in Allah ta’ala. Similarly we should make Du’a, “O Allah! You are الْوَالِي, help my affairs!”

 

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