Al-Waliyy
Al-Waliyy is the Protecting Friend — the ally of the believers, close to them and acting on their behalf.
Name 55 of 99
الْوَلِيُّ
Al-Waliyy
The Protecting Friend
- In Arabic
- الْوَلِيُّ
- Transliteration
- Al-Waliyy
- Position in the list
- Name 55 of 99
Al-Waliyy — The Protecting Friend
What the name means
Wilayah in Arabic is nearness that carries responsibility: the wali is the one whose closeness obliges him to act for you. The name is therefore warmer than protector and stronger than friend.
The Quran states the direction of the relationship: Allah is the Wali of those who believe, bringing them out of darkness into light.
Al-Waliyy in the Quran
The 3 verses below contain this name. Every reference is checked against the Arabic text of the Quran before it is published, so Al-Waliyy really is in each verse it is cited from.
أَمِ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ ۖ فَٱللَّهُ هُوَ ٱلْوَلِىُّ وَهُوَ يُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ
Or have they taken protectors [or allies] besides him? But Allah - He is the Protector, and He gives life to the dead, and He is over all things competent.
Surah Ash-Shura 42:9Read the full surah →وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِى يُنَزِّلُ ٱلْغَيْثَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا قَنَطُوا۟ وَيَنشُرُ رَحْمَتَهُۥ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْوَلِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ
And it is He who sends down the rain after they had despaired and spreads His mercy. And He is the Protector, the Praiseworthy.
Surah Ash-Shura 42:28Read the full surah →إِنَّهُمْ لَن يُغْنُوا۟ عَنكَ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ شَيْـًۭٔا ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍۢ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ وَلِىُّ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
Indeed, they will never avail you against Allah at all. And indeed, the wrongdoers are allies of one another; but Allah is the protector of the righteous.
Surah Al-Jathiyah 45:19Read the full surah →
How reliable is the list of ninety-nine?
That Allah has ninety-nine names is established in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and both are agreed upon. The specific enumeration — this list of ninety-nine — comes from a narration in Jami' at-Tirmidhi that at-Tirmidhi himself called gharib, and which many hadith scholars grade weak; several held that a narrator compiled the names by searching the Quran and Sunnah. Classical scholars including al-Khattabi, Ibn Hazm, al-Qurtubi and al-Ghazali compiled lists of their own that differ from it. None of this touches the names themselves, every one of which is established elsewhere; it means the count of exactly these ninety-nine is a scholarly arrangement rather than a revealed roster, and Allah's names are not limited to them.
Questions about Al-Waliyy
Al-Waliyy (الْوَلِيُّ) means "The Protecting Friend". Like every one of the ninety-nine names, it describes an attribute of Allah rather than serving as a label — the names are how the Quran teaches who Allah is.
Yes. This page cites 3 verses containing Al-Waliyy, each checked against the Arabic text before publishing.
Address Allah with "Ya" before the name — "Ya Waliyy" — and ask for what that attribute gives. The Quran instructs it directly: "To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call upon Him by them" (7:180).
It is number 55 in the well-known list. The order comes from the narration of at-Tirmidhi and is a scholarly arrangement, so numbering can differ slightly between printed lists — the names themselves do not.