Ghawth (the helper), in matters of seeking refuge, is, when the time permits, uniquely the one of his era. (Iṣṭilāḥ, 536)
Ghawth is the title given to the pole (quṭb) to whom people seek refuge. Outside of this particular time, he is not called ghawth. (Kāshānī, 167; Jāmiʿ, 91)
At the moment of death, only the form of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) manifests to the Quṭb al-Ghawth. This is because the quṭb (in terms of the qalb [the heart]) is upon the heart of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). (Asfār, 299)
The ghawth is the great quṭb, a noble person and a generous master, to whom people turn in times of dire necessity for the disclosure of secrets and from whom they request dua (supplication), because the dua of this person is accepted. If he were to swear an oath by Allah, Allah would surely fulfill his oath. In the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the state of Uways al-Qaranī was such. The quṭb cannot be called such unless all these aforementioned attributes are gathered in him. (Jāmiʿ, 4, 22)
The quṭb, who is also called ghawth due to being the one to whom the person in need of help seeks refuge, is in every era the unique individual who gathers the wāḥid (the single point) upon whom Allah Most High directs His gaze. Allah has given him the greatest talisman from His presence. He circulates in the universe, in both the manifest and hidden realms, just as the ruh (the spirit) circulates in the body. The scale of universal grace is in his hand. His measure is according to his knowledge, his knowledge is according to the knowledge of the Real (al-Ḥaqq), and the knowledge of the Real...