Wilayat (Sainthood) is a very special rank and position of acceptance given by Allah to His beloved servants. A Wali is a pious Muslim who attains this position of wilayat. Wilayat is deduced from the root word "Wila", which means closeness. Some attain this position due to their sincere devotion and worship. Some attain this position from birth, but ultimately, it depends on Allah's mercy and kindness. Wilayat is a shadow of Nabuwat (Prophethood). A Wali, no matter how great his status, cannot reach the status of a Prophet . All the Awliya Allah belong to the Ahl as-Sunnah wal Jamaat, and anyone belonging to any other sect cannot be Awliya because they have beliefs contrary to the teachings of Hazrat Mohammed S.A.W. The following narration explains the status of the Awliya:

Hazrat Umar (Radi Allahu taala Anhu) said:
"I heard the Beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) saying that there will be certain worshippers of Allah who will not be Prophets, nor martyrs, but the Prophets and martyrs will envy them on the Day of Judgement."

The Companions then asked, "O Prophet of Allah, who are these people?"

Then the Most Beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) explained to them the qualities of the Awliya.
The Prophet (S.A.W.) read to them the verse:

"Beware, verily on the friends of Allah, there is no fear, nor shall they grieve."
(Surah Yunus, Verse 62)  

(1) Wilayat-e-Amma (general closeness to Allah) - This is the closeness of Allah to every believer, as Allah declares in the Qur'an al-Kareem: "We are closer to him, than his own jugular vein." (Surah Al-Kaaf, Verse 16).

(2) Wilayat-e-Khaas (special closeness to Allah) - This closeness is exclusive to the Awliya. This is a speciality of those who have traveled on the path of Tasawwuf, and attained nearness to Allah. This is declared in a Hadith-e-Quddsi, where Allah says to the Most Beloved Prophet (S.A.W.), "Among the things that bring My servant close to Me, the ones I love best, are the things that I have made fard (compulsory). When My servant does nafil ibaadat (optional prayer, he gets very close to Me. So much so, that I love him very much. When I love Him, I become his hearing ear,seeing eye, holding hand, and walking foot. I give him whatever he wishes. When he invokes Me for help, I protect him." Allah's closeness is not like material closeness that can be understood by reason, or perceived through the sense organs. It can only be comprehended
through the knowledge of Ma'rifa (gnosis) bestowed by Allah upon the Awliya. From the Awliya of all the ummahs (of the previous Prophets), the greatest Awliya are from the ummah of Sayidina Rasoolallah (S.A.W.). There have been Awliya Allah in every era and there will always be Awliya Allah in every era. However, their recognition may be difficult.

The Qur'an al-kareem divides those that are favoured by Allah into 4 groups:
 

(a) The Prophets - This cycle has ended after the appearance of Sayyadina Rasoolallah (S.A.W.).

(b) The Siddeeq (The Truthful) - This rank is next after the Prophets. The greatest Siddeeq was Hazrat Abu Bakr (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu). The meaning of Siddeeq is Truth. Such a person recognizes truth in all its manifestations.

 (c) The Shuhada (Martyrs) - One need not actually be killed in the battlefield to prove one's self as shaheed (martyr). One in this stage feels satisfied by sacrificing everything that he has for the Creator.

 (d) The Salih (Pious) - This is the lower grade that one can attain by devotional activities. In this stage, one cleanses himself from all spiritual impurities such as jealousy, hatred, hypocrisy etc.

From the Awliya of the ummah of Sayyadina Rasoolallah (Salla Allahu ta'ala Alayhi wa Sallam), the most superior Awliya are the four Khulafa-e-Rashideen (The Righteously guided Caliphs), namely Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu), Hazrat Umar Farooq (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu), Hazrat Uthman Ghani (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu), and Hazrat Ali Murtaza (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu), and then all the other Sahaba. All the Sahaba were Awliya, BUT
all Awliya are not Sahaaba.

Amongst the Awliya are the following groups:

At any given time, there are 4000 Awliya living on Earth. They are not recognized by the general public. In fact, amongst them, one does not know the other, and they themselves are not aware of the validity of their actions and devotion.

300 from this group are statesman, involved in the administration of this world. They control all transactions that take place. They are known as the "Akhyaar".

· Amongst these 300, 40 are known as "Abdaal".
· Amongst the 40, 7 are "Abraar".
· Amongst this 7, 4 are "Autaad".
· Amongst these 4, 3 are "Noqabah".
· From these 3, 1 is the "Ghaus" or "Qutub". He is the most senior of them all, and head of the spiritual assembly.

In reference to the Abdaals, Imam At-Tabarani (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu) quotes a Hadith Shareef in which the Beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) declares, "There will always exist 40 persons on the Earth, each of whom is blessed like Hazrat Ebrahim (Alaihis Salaam). It rains because of their barakah. Allah appoints another when one of them dies."

In another Hadith Shareef, Abu Naeem (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu) reports that the Beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) said, "There always exist 40 persons among my ummah. Their hearts are like that of Hazrat Ebrahim (Alaihis Salaam). Allah Ta'aala redeems His human servants from disasters for their sake. They are called Abdaal. They do not attain to that degree by performing salaah, fasting, or giving zakaah."

Ibn Mas'ud (Radi Allahu ta'ala Anhu) asked, "Ya Rasoolallah (S.A.W.), by what means do they attain that degree?"

"They attain it by being generous, and by advising muslims," said the Beloved Prophet (S.A.W.).

Do remember that although all the Awliya Allah are equal as far as Wilayah is concerned, they differ as far as status is concerned.