Harming a wali

من عادى لى وليا فقد آذنته. بالحرب ..." (البخارى)..."

"... Whoever shows enmity to one of my Wali, I declare war against him..." (Bukhari)

Explanation:

In this Hadith, we are being informed that having enmity for a Wali is like having enmity for Allah Ta’ala because the enemy of an enemy is a friend and the enemy of a friend is an enemy. A Wali is the friend of Allah Ta’ala. Thus, the enemy of a Wali is an enemy of Allah Ta’ala.

When Allah Ta’ala says that He declares war, this means that He considers that person as His enemy. When someone declares war against you and considers you as his enemy, you may expect anything. Similarly, when Allah Ta’ala declares war against someone, this represents a threat against everything that he has, especially things that are precious and valuable. The most precious and the most valuable thing that a person has is his Imaan. Thus, by having enmity for a Wali, he endangers the most precious and the most valuable thing that he has which is called Imaan. That is why, according to the Ulama, it is not strange if a person loses his Imaan due to his grudge for a certain Wali. If rancour for a Wali is harmful, this is an indication that affection for a Wali is very beneficial and profitable for the Deen and the Imaan of a person.

[English version of "Faire du tort ene wali" – Al Jamiat – Vol.3 No.13]