Can the close friend of Allah be identified, or is the friendship of Allah a hidden matter that cannot be known?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: The Shaykh of Islam mentioned, as we heard, that the awliya (close friends of Allah) have no distinguishing feature that sets them apart from people. The question is: Can the close friend of Allah be identified, or is the friendship of Allah a hidden matter that cannot be known?

Answer:
The friendship of Allah is a hidden matter, because it is between the servant and his Lord. However, it may be known by signs, such as being one who guards the obedience of Allah, stays away from the sins of Allah, and persists in obedience. This is evidence that he is a close friend of Allah. Yes. We do not assert for anyone that he is a close friend of Allah except with evidence. But we hope for the doers of good and fear for the doers of evil. Otherwise, we do not testify to the purity of anyone before Allah, nor do we say, "This is a close friend of Allah." Rather, you say, "I consider him so, and Allah is his accountant; I consider him thus." Yes.