(fadāwa; nubuwwat-i tashrīʿ-nubuwwat-i walāya; nubuwwat-i ʿāmma; nubuwwat-i bashariyya; tashkhīr, walāyat-i ʿāmma-walāyat-i khāṣṣa; walāyat-i bashariyya; walāyat-i kubrā)
The lights of prophethood (nubuwwa) have emerged from His light. The radiance of the lights has also manifested from His light. Among the lights, there is none brighter, clearer, or more primordial than the light of the Master of the Sanctuary (Ṣāḥibu'l-ḥaram). His himma (spiritual aspiration) surpasses all other aspirations. His existence preceded non-existence, and his name came before the Pen. For he was before all communities. Nowhere is there anyone more merciful, more gentle, more noble, more knowing, more just, more compassionate, more gracious, or more merciful than the possessor of these qualities. Not on the horizons, nor above or below the horizons... (Tawāsīn, 192)
Walāya (friendship with God) in language means nusra (help, assistance). In the form wilāya, it means leadership or governorship. Both are verbal nouns (maṣdar) of the word walī (friend of God). Thus, these two words should be, like dalāla and dilāla, which are both verbal nouns of dalīl (proof, guide).
Again, walāya also means rubūbiyya (lordship). For this reason, Allah the Exalted has said: "There, walāya belongs to Allah, the True" (al-Kahf 18:44). For only then...