المعنى الاصطلاحي

The pious believers who are constantly mindful of Allah, the Almighty, in all of their affairs; thus, obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, out of fear of His punishment and wrath, and in pursuit of His pleasure and Paradise.

الشرح المختصر

"Awliyaa" (pious allies of Allah) in Shariah terminology, plural of "waliyy", is someone who combines faith in Allah and piety that entails drawing close to Allah, the Exalted, by performing obligatory and supererogatory acts of worship, while having knowledge of Allah's command, and acting upon such knowledge. Whoever has a sound creed and valid deeds is a "waliyy" of Allah, the Almighty. "Wilaayah" (being a "waliyy") depends upon the slave's faith and piety. Moreover, a "waliyy" is a person whom Allah takes care of his affairs and grants him special protection due to his righteousness. That is because Allah is an ally of the righteous and loves the believers and defends them. The "Awliyaa" of Allah are divided into two categories: 1. The forerunners who are brought near to Allah, the Almighty: They are those who draw close to Allah by doing supererogatory acts of worship after doing the obligatory ones. Thus, they perform what is obligatory and what is recommended, and leave what is prohibited and what is disliked. 2. The companions of the right who are moderate: They are the righteous who draw close to Allah, the Almighty, by fulfilling the obligations, performing what Allah has commanded them to do, and avoiding what He has prohibited. However, they do not charge themselves with doing the recommended acts or refraining from the unnecessary permissible things. "Wilaayah" varies according to the slave's faith and piety. Each slave has a share of "wilaayah" of Allah, His love and closeness. This share, however, depends upon the slave's good deeds that are related to the heart or the body by which he seeks closeness to Allah. Hence, the one who wrongs himself, i.e. the believer who disobeys Allah, has a share of "wilaayah" that corresponds with his faith and good deeds. The "awliyaa" of Allah are not infallible, nor do they know the Unseen. They cannot manage the affairs of the creation or provide sustenance. They do not ask people to glorify them or offer them wealth and gifts. Anyone who does something of that is not a "waliyy" of Allah. Instead, he must be a liar from among the devil's allies.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر

"Awliyaa" (sing. waliyy): it is derived from "walaa", which means coming near and close. A "waliyy" of Allah is someone who draws close to Allah by doing what He loves and what pleases Him.