assalamu alaikum
The words walî, plural awliyâ' and walâya are all of Qur'anic origin with the root wly meaning: to be close, to be a friend, to govern. It appears in the Qur'an al-Kareem in different forms over 200 times.
Lo! Verily the friends of Allah are those on whom fear comes not, nor do they grieve (10:62).
Whoso obey Allah and the Messenger, they are with those unto whom Allas has shown favor, of the Prophets and the saints and the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they! (4:69)
When the Prophet finished his prayer he turned to face the people and said: "O people! Listen to this, understand it, and know it. Allah has servants who are neither Prophets nor martyrs and whom the Prophets and martyrs yearn to be like, due to their seat and proximity in relation to Allah."
One of the beduin Arabs who came from among the most isolated of people twisted his hand at the Prophet and said: "O Messenger of Allah! People from humankind who are neither Prophets nor martyrs and yet the Prophets and the martyrs yearn to be like them due to their seat and proximity in relation to Allah?! Describe them for us!"
The Prophet's face showed delight at the Beduin's question and he said: "They are of the strangers from this and that place. They frequent this or that tribe without belonging to them. They do not have family connections among themselves. They love one another for Allah's sake. They are of pure intent towards one another. On the Day of Resurrection Allah will place for them pedestals of light upon which He will make them sit, and He will turn their faces and clothes into light. On the Day of Resurrection the people will be terrified but not those. They are Allah's Friends upon whom fear comes not, nor do they grieve."
[Haythami in
Majma` al-zawa'id says: "Ahmad relates it, and Tabrani relates something similar, and the men in its chain of transmission has been declared trustworthy." Also related through several chains by Abu Dawud, Ahmad, Baghawi in
Sharh al-Sunna, al-Hakim in the Mustadrak, Ibn `Asakir, Ibn Abi al-Dunya in
Kitab al-ikhwan, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn Mardawayh, and others.]
Another famous description of the characteristics of
awliya was given by Sayyidina `Ali, as related by Ibn al-Jawzi in the chapter devoted to him in
Sifat al-safwa: They are the fewest in number, but the greatest in rank before Allah. Through them Allah preserves His proofs until they bequeath it to those like them (before passing on) and plant it firmly in their hearts. By them knowledge has taken by assault the reality of things, so that they found easy what those given to comfort found hard, and found intimacy in what the ignorant found desolate. They accompanied the world with bodies whose spirits were attached to the highest regard
(al-mahall al-a`la). Ah, ah! how one yearns to see them!
One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee (O Sulayman) before thy gaze returneth unto thee... (27:40)
and this is Prophet Sulayman's scribe Asif ibn Barkhya according to the
Tafsir Ibn `Abbas and the majority of the scholars, i.e. a non-Prophet human being: "One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture": i.e. an angel... or Jibril... or al-Khidr or Asif ibn Barkhya Sulayman's scribe, which is the most correct, and the
jumhur (majority) agrees upon it...[Nasafi, Madarik al-tanzil 27:40.]
An ifreet of the jinn said, I will bring it to you before you get up from your seat. I am strong and trustworthy enough to do it.' He who had knowledge of the Book said, 'I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.' And when he saw it standing firmly in his presence, he said, 'This is part of my Lord's favour to me to test me to see if I will give thanks or show ingratitude'. [Surah Al-Naml, verse 39-40]
Hafidh Ibn Kathir writes concerning this verse that the man who brought the throne was called Asif bin Barkhiyah.
From al-Harith ibn Malik al-Ansari (some chains have: al-Haritha ibn al-Na`man al-Ansari): He passed by the Prophet who asked him: "How are you this morning O Haritha [sic]?" He replied: "This morning I am a real believer." The Prophet said: "Take care of what you say: what is the reality of your belief?" He said: "I have turned myself away from this world by keeping awake at night and by keeping myself thirsty by day; and I can almost see the Throne of my Lord in full sight; and I can see the people of the Garden of Paradise visiting each other; and I can almost see the people of the Fire wailing to each other in it." The Prophet said: "O Haritha, you do know: therefore cleave to it." Some versions add: "This is a believer, Allah has illumined his heart" (mu'minun nawwara Allahu qalbah).
[Narrated by Tabarani in his Mu`jam al-Kabir, al-Bazzar, Suyuti in his Jami` al-saghir, al-Haythami in Majma` al-zawa'id in the "Chapter on the Reality of Belief and its Perfection" (bab haqiqat al-iman wa kamalih), al-`Askari, Ibn al-Mubarak in Kitab al-zuhd, `Abd al-Razzaq through two chains, Ibn Mindah, Bayhaqi in Shu`ab al-iman, Ibn Asram in Kitab al-istiqama, Ibn Sa`id, and Ibn Abi Shayba in his Musannaf. Abu Hanifa mentions it in his al-Fiqh al-akbar. Ibn Hajar in his Isaba lists its many chains and says that this is a hadith mu`dal (i.e. its chain is missing two or more sub-narrators) and mawsul (or: muttasil; i.e. it is linked back to a Companion through the authority of a Tabi`i.]
In the nations before you were people who were spoken to (muhaddathun) though they were not prophets. If there is anyone in my Community, it is `Umar ibn Khattab.
It is related by Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Ahmad. It is elucidated by the two hadiths in Tirmidhi (which he graded hasan) whereby "Allah has engraved truth on the tongue of `Umar and his heart" and "If there were a prophet after me verily it would be `Umar." Tirmidhi adds to the muhaddath narration that according to Ibn `Uyayna "spoken to" means "made to understand" (mufahhamun), while in his narration Muslim adds: "Ibn Wahb explained "spoken to" as meaning "inspired" (mulhamun)," and this is the majority's opinion according to Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (7:62:#3689) who adds "spoken to" means "by the angels."
Nawawi and Ibn Hajar said respectively in Sharh Sahih Muslim and Fath al-Bari: The scholars have differed concerning "spoken to." Ibn Wahb said it meant: "inspired" (mulhamun). It was said also: "Those on the right, and when they give an opinion it is as if they were spoken to, and then they give their opinion. It was said also: the angels speak to them... Bukhari said: "Truth comes from their tongue." There is in this a confirmation of the miracles of saints (wa fihi ithbatu karamat al-awliya).[Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim Kitab 44 Bab 2 #2398.]
"Those who strive hard in Us, We shall most surely guide them in our Ways" (29:69) and ittaqullah wa yu`allimukumullah ("Be aware of Allah, and Allah Himself will teach you" 2:282)
"Whoso acts upon what he knows, Allah will make him inherit a knowledge that he did not have".
[Narrated from Anas by Abu Nu`aym, Hilyat al-awliya' 10:15. Cited in the Commentaries of Suyuti, al-Durr al-manthur (1:372) and Qurtubi (13:364), also by al-Hafiz al-Zabidi in his Ithaf al-sada al-muttaqin 1:403. Shawkani included it in his collection of inauthentic hadiths (al-Fawa'id p. 289), however, al-Qari considers it authentic in his similar collection al-Asrar al-marfu`a p. 325.]
the Prophet said: ittaqu firasat al-mu'min fa innahu yara bi nurillah "Beware the vision of the believer, for he sees with the light of Allah," then he recited the verse: "Therein lie portents for those who read the signs" (al-mutawassimin) (15:75).
Tirmidhi narrated this authentic hadith in the Book of the Commentary of Qur'an in his Sunan and said that some of the commentators have explained "Those who read the signs" as meaning: those who possess vision (al-mutafarrisin)." al-Sakhawi in al-Maqasid al-hasana (#23) mentions another authentic hadith whereby the Prophet said: "Allah has servants who know (the truth about people) through reading the signs" (tawassum).
[Related from Anas with a fair chain by al-Bazzar, Tabarani, Abu Nu`aym in al-Tibb al-nabawi, and from Ibn Sa`id by Bukhari in his Tarikh, al-`Askari in al-Amthal, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari in his Tafsir for 15:75, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Ibn Mardawayh.]
at the end of time every Muslim will be endowed with this ability to "ready the signs," so that he will be able to recognize the dajjal or antichrist as a disbeliever by reading the letters K-F-R over his forehead. [Muslim, Book of Fitan (English vol. 4 p. 1515 #7009).]
Ibn Hajar said: "He (Muhibb al-Din al-Wahidi al-Maliki) said to me: "Invest some of that energy of yours into fiqh, for I see by way of firasat that the scholars of this country (Egypt) are going to be depleted, and there will be need of you, so don't indulge yourself." And his word to me helped me greatly, and I still pray for him for that reason, may Allah have mercy on him."[Related by al-Biqa`i, Unwan al-zaman p. 92.]
Indeed Allah has men, such that if one of them swears that a thing will be done, it will be done." (Agreed upon with the wording "servants" instead of "men.")
"Whoever shows hostility to My Wali, I proclaim war against him. My servant does not draw near to Me by anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me by the voluntary deeds, until I love Him. When I love him, I will be his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his feet with which he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely give him. And if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely give him refuge." (Agreed upon)
Imam Nawawi (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu), and also Ibn Maja (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu) report that when Sayyadina Rasoolallah (Salla Allahu ta'ala Alayhi wa Sallam) was asked about the characteristics of the Awliya, he declared, “Allah is remembered when they are seen.”
The Most Beloved Prophet (Salla Allahu Ta'ala Alayhi Wa Sallam) has said that Allah said, “Whoever shows enmity to a friend of mine, I shall be at war with him.”
Ibn Kathir writes: "During the khilafah of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, there appeared a fire in the desert. 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, asked Tamim al-Dari, may Allah be pleased with Him, to assist him. They approached the area of the fire and Tamim al-Dari, may Allah be pleased with Him, began to gather the fire with his hands and started shoving the fire into a hole in the ground. This was a karamah of Tamim al-Dari, may Allah be pleased with Him." [Tarikh Ibn Kathir, Vol. 6, chapter on Miracles, and Sirat un-Nabi, Ibn Kathir, chapter on Mu'jizat]
During the khilafah of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, the governor of Egypt wrote to 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, asking for help as the river Nile had failed to flood. 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, wrote a letter in return and addressed the river itself. This was then placed in the Nile, and no sooner as this was done, the Nile's water began to flood. [Tarikh Ibn Kathir, volumes 1 and 8, chapter on Rivers and chapter on Khilafah of 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him.]
'Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, whilst delivering a Friday sermon in Madinah called out and said, 'Ya Sariah! The mountain.' That very moment, Sariah, may Allah be pleased with Him, was in a place in Persia called Nahawand, engaged in a battle with the enemy. What 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with Him, meant by his call was: O Sariah! Seek protection behind the mountain. Sariah, may Allah be pleased with Him, heard this and was subsequently saved. When the people heard these words during the Friday they were surprised. After winning the battle, Sariah came to Madinah. He told about how they had been under attack by the enemy. Suddenly they had heard 'Umar's voice and hid behind the mountain and were saved.
[Tarikh Ibn Kathir, chapter on the Khilafah of 'Umar]
Ibn Khathir writes that: 'Uthman Ghani, may Allah be pleased with Him, said that when the enemy surrounded his house and stopped the household from receiving water, they were thirsty for many days. 'Uthman said: One day I saw that the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), give me some water from my window. Some days later my roof parted, and the Prophet of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) accompanied by Aby Bakr and Umar (May Allah be pleased with them, entered and gave me some water to drink, and enquired: You will break your fast with us tomorrow [Tarikh Ibn Kathir, Chapter on the death of 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with Him]
Imam al Waqdi writes that: Abu Ubaidah, may Allah be pleased with Him, was the leader of the army of Damascus and was in Jihad. In his dream he saw the Prophet of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), inform him that ' Tomorrow Damascus will be defeated,' and He, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), departed quickly'. I asked the Prophet ' Why are you returning so hastily?' He replied ' Abu Bakr has died and I am going to attend his Janaza' (funeral) [Futuh as sham, Allama Waqdi]
Imam al Waqdi writes; In the battle of Damascus, a kafir became a Muslim, and began to speak Arabic in an instant. Abu Ubaidah asked him ' you do not know Arabic, how is it that you speak so fluently? He replied 'Last night I saw the Messenger of Allah, (May Allah bless him and grant him peace), in my dream. I asked him, if you are the messenger of Allah, then supplicate for me that I may speak Arabic. When I woke up in the morning I found that I could speak Arabic'. [Futuh as Sham, Chapter on Fath ad Dimishk, Allama Waqdi]