ولي
walī
A “friend” or protector; and the title of a righteous person close to God.
What it means
“God is the wali of those who believe” (2:257). “Indeed, the friends of God have no fear, nor will they grieve” (10:62). In the hadith qudsi God says that He loves the servant who draws near with obligatory acts and then with voluntary ones (Sahih al-Bukhari). In law, a wali is also the guardian who acts for a bride.