a walī (ally) (1). He may, however, be called the walī al-amr (holder of authority), just as one says, “I have been entrusted with authority over your affairs,” and speaks of ulū al-amr (those vested with authority).

As for using the term mawlā without qualification while intending a walī in the sense of a ruler, this usage is unknown. Rather, an ally may be called a mawlā, but not a wālī (governor). Hence the jurists have said that when the governor and the deceased’s nearest relative are both present for the funeral prayer, the governor takes precedence according to one view—and this is the view of most of them—while according to another, the relative takes precedence.

It is therefore clear that wilāya (2) denotes mutual loyalty—the opposite of enmity—which exists among all believers toward one another. This is shared by the four caliphs, all who were at Badr, and those who took the Pledge of al-Ridwān (3). They are all allies of one another. The verse does not indicate that any one of them is to be a ruler over the others. Indeed, that is false for many reasons: the terms walī and wilāya differ from the term wālī. Moreover, the verse applies generally to the believers, whereas political authority cannot belong generally to them all.

The Seventeenth Point:

Had political authority been intended by wilāya, the wording would have been: “Only Allah, His Messenger, and those who believe (4) exercise authority over you.” It would not have said: “Whoever takes Allah and His Messenger as allies.” For when a governor (5) assumes authority over people, one does not say (6), “They assumed authority over him”; rather, one says, “He assumed authority over them.”