Learn Arabic › B1 › وَلِيّ
وَلِيّ
guardian /waˈliːj/
nounB1#2710 most common
Also: protector/patron, close friend/ally, saint (in Sufi usage)
Example sentences
أَبِي هُوَ وَلِيِّي.
My father is my guardian.
يُوَقِّعُ وَلِيُّ الأَمْرِ عَلَى اسْتِمَارَةِ المَدْرَسَةِ.
The guardian signs the school form.
لَا يَتِمُّ عَقْدُ الزَّوَاجِ بِدُونِ مُوَافَقَةِ الوَلِيِّ.
The marriage contract is not finalized without the guardian's consent.
اللهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُم مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ.
God is the protector of those who believe; He brings them out of darkness into light.
يُلَقَّبُ بَعْضُ الصُّوفِيِّينَ بِـ«الوَلِيِّ» اعْتِرَافًا بِمَكَانَتِهِمْ الرُّوحِيَّةِ.
Some Sufis are given the title 'the saint' in recognition of their spiritual standing.
تُشَكِّلُ مُؤَسَّسَةُ الوَلِيِّ فِي الفِقْهِ الإِسْلَامِيِّ ضَمَانَةً قَانُونِيَّةً لِحِمَايَةِ حُقُوقِ القُصَّرِ وَالمَحْجُورِ عَلَيْهِمْ.
The institution of the guardian in Islamic jurisprudence forms a legal safeguard for protecting the rights of minors and those under legal incapacity.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | وَلِيٌّ | أَوْلِيَاءُ |
| Genitive | وَلِيٍّ | أَوْلِيَاءَ |
| Accusative | وَلِيًّا | أَوْلِيَاءَ |
| Vocative | وَلِيُّ | أَوْلِيَاءَ |
Word family
وِلَايَةguardianship, authority, jurisdiction
مَوْلَىpatron, master, clientتَوَلَّىto take charge of; to turn away from
وَالٍgovernor, ruler (a distinct active-participle form)
Etymology
Waliyy comes from the Arabic root w-l-y, whose core sense is to be near, to follow closely, or to take charge of something. The pattern fa'īl turns this root into a noun for one who stands close to and looks after another, hence guardian, protector, or patron. In religious usage the same word describes a saint, literally a friend of God who stays near Him. As a root internal to the Semitic family, it has no established Indo-European cognates.
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