Answer: Yes. Whoever makes this claim and calls people to pledge themselves to him on the grounds that he is their intercessor and their wali in this world and the Hereafter is a ṭāghūt—a disbeliever in Allah. Anyone who believes him is the same: once the proofs and the revealed texts have reached him, he too becomes a disbeliever. If, however, he is ignorant, the ruling is explained to him and the falsity of the claim is shown to him through the scriptural evidences; should he then persist in believing these ṭāghūts, he becomes like them in disbelief, deviance, and atheism.

Question: Is walayah limited to the Prophet’s lifetime, or is it a set of qualities and criteria such that whoever fulfils them is entitled to this walayah?

Answer: Every believer is a wali of Allah in proportion to his faith and piety. As we have said, this walayah grows stronger or weaker according to the strength or weakness of one’s faith. Nevertheless, we do not declare anyone to be definitely a wali of Allah except those to whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself bore witness.

Question: When we say “those to whom the Prophet, peace be upon him, bore witness,” is that restricted to his own time, or do we mean the attributes?

Answer: The individuals meant are only those for whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave testimony. As for the general description—that every believer is a wali of Allah—this remains true until the Day of Resurrection. What is impermissible is to single out a particular person or group and say, “These are awliyaʾ,” except for those whom the Prophet affirmed, because we do not know what is in people’s hearts or what their private state with Allah is; we judge only by what is outwardly apparent.

Question: As you kindly pointed out, some—or indeed all—of those whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) attested to never, in fact, claimed to be awliyaʾ, nor did any of them make such a claim for himself; rather—