The Imam of a Mosque Who Claims to Be a Wali Among the Awliya of Allah, That He Has the Reform of the Ummah in His Hands, and That Allah Inspires Him: What Are the Signs of Wilayah, and Does the True Wali Know That He Is a Wali?

The questioner : He says that this imam also displays himself as a wali among the awliya of Allah, that he has the reform of the ummah in his hands, and that he sits in seclusion for about a week, remembering Allah, and claims that Allah inspires him. What are the signs of wilayah? And does the true wali know that he is a wali?

The Shaykh : The signs and conditions of wilayah are made clear by Allah the Exalted in His saying: These are the sign of wilayah and its conditions: faith in Allah and the taqwa of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Whoever is a believer and possesses taqwa is a wali of Allah. As for whoever associates partners with Him, he is not a wali of Allah, but rather he is an enemy of Allah, as Allah the Exalted said: So any man or woman who calls upon other than Allah and seeks aid from other than Allah in matters that only Allah, Mighty and Majestic, can do, is a mushrik and a disbeliever, and is not a wali of Allah, even if he claims it. In fact, his claim to be a wali, in the absence of his tawhid, faith, and taqwa, is a false claim that contradicts wilayah. Yes.