Wali (gavana) ni mtu ambaye Khalifah humteua kuwa mtawala na Amiri juu ya Wilayah (jimbo) katika Dola ya Khilafah.

The Wali (governor) is the person whom the Khalifah appoints as ruler and Amir over a Wilayah (province) in the Khilafah State. .

Maeneo ambayo Dola ya Kiislamu inayatawala yangegawanywa katika mikoa, na kila mkoa ungejulikana kama Wilayah. Wilayah nayo ingegawanywa katika wilaya, na kila wilaya ingejulikana kama Imalah. Mtu aliyeteuliwa kusimamia Wilayah angejulikana kama Wali, au amiri, na mtu aliyeteuliwa kwa ajili ya Imalah angejulikana kama amil au hakim (mtawala).

The territories which the Islamic State rules over would be divided into provinces and each province would be known as a Wilayah. The Wilayah would in turn be divided into districts and each district would be known as Imalah. The person appointed over the Wilayah would be known as the Wali, or an amir, and the person appointed for the Imalah would be known as the amil or the hakim (ruler). .

'Imalah imegawanywa katika vitengo vya kiutawala, ambapo kila kimoja kinajulikana kama mji mkuu (Qasabah), na Qasabah imegawanywa katika vitengo vidogo vya kiutawala, kila kimoja kikijulikana kama mtaa (Hayy). Kiongozi wa Qasabah pamoja na wa Hayy anajulikana kama meneja; na kazi yake ni ya kiutawala.

The ‘Imalah is divided into administrative units, of which each is known as a metropolis (Qasabah), and the Qasabah is divided into smaller administrative units, each known as a quarter (Hayy). The leader of the Qasabah as well as the Hayy is known as a manager; and his work is administrative. .

Kwa hiyo Wali ni mtawala, kwa sababu Wilayah maana yake ni utawala. Katika kamusi ya Al-Muhit, imefafanuliwa kuwa ni "Imara" (uongozi) na "mamlaka". Kwa kuwa wao ni watawala, basi inahitajika watimize masharti yale yale ya mtawala. Hivyo Wali lazima awe mwanamume, mtu huru, Mwislamu, mtu mzima, mwenye akili timamu na mwadilifu, pamoja na kuwa mwenye uwezo katika kazi yake. Anahitaji uteuzi kutoka kwa Khalifah au kutoka kwa yeyote aliyeteuliwa kwa niaba ya Khalifah. Kwa hiyo Wali anaweza kuteuliwa na Khalifah pekee. Chimbuko la Wilayah au Imara, yaani Walis au Amirs, linarudi kwenye matendo ya Mtume wa Allah ﷺ. Imethibitishwa kwamba yeye ﷺ aliwateua Walis juu ya nchi na kuwapa haki ya kutawala majimbo. Alimteua Muadh Ibn Jabal juu ya Al-Janad, Ziyad Ibn Labid juu ya Hadramawt, na Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari juu ya Zabeed na Aden.

The Wali is therefore a ruler, for the Wilayah means the ruling. In Al-Muhit dictionary, it has been defined as being the “Imara” (leadership) and the “authority”. Since they are rulers, then it is required that they fulfil the same conditions of the ruler. Thus the Wali must be male, free, Muslim, mature, sane and just, as well as competent in his task. He requires an appointment by the Khalifah or by whoever is appointed on the Khalifah’s behalf. Therefore the Wali can only be appointed by the Khalifah. The origin of the Wilayah or the Imara, i.e. the Walis or the Amirs goes back to the actions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). It has been confirmed that He (PBUH) appointed Walis over the countries and that he gave them the right to rule over the provinces. He (PBUH) appointed Muadh Ibn Jabal over Al- Janad, Ziyad Ibn Labid over Hadramawt and Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari over Zabeed and Aden. .

Mtume wa Allah (ﷺ) alikuwa akiwachagua Walii wake miongoni mwa wale waliostahili kutawala, na wale waliokuwa na elimu na walijulikana kwa uchaji Mungu. Alikuwa akiwachagua miongoni mwa wale waliokuwa wataalamu katika kazi zao, na ambao wangejaza nyoyo za watu imani na heshima kwa Dola. Suleiman bin Buraydah alipokea hadithi kwa mamlaka ya baba yake, akisema:

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) used to select his Walis from among those who were fit to rule, and those who had knowledge and were known for their piety. He used to select them from among those who were experts in their job, and who would fill people's hearts with Iman and respect for the State. Suleiman IbnBurayda reported on the authority of his father that he said: .

"Kila alipokuwa Mtume wa Allah ﷺ akimteua Amiri juu ya jeshi au msafara, alikuwa akimwusia amche Allah na awe mwema kwa Waislamu wanaoambatana naye," kama alivyosimulia Muslim. Kwa kuwa Wali kwa kweli ni Amiri juu ya Wilaya yake, hadith hiyo basi itamhusu yeye pia. [Al-Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, juzuu ya 9, uk. 41].

'Whenever the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) appointed an Amir over an army or an expedition, he used to advise him to fear Allah and to be good to the Muslims who accompany him’, as narrated by Muslim. Since the Wali is in fact an Amir over his Wilayah, the hadith would then apply to him as well. [Al-Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, vol.9, p.41] .

Kuhusu kumwondoa Wali, hilo litakuwa ni juu ya Khalifah, au ikiwa wengi wa watu wa Wilayah yake, au wawakilishi wao, wataonyesha kutoridhika naye. Kwa hiyo, tunakubali kwamba baraza la wilaya lichaguliwe kutoka miongoni mwa watu wa wilaya hiyo kwa madhumuni mawili. La kwanza, kumsaidia Wali kwa kumfikishia hali halisi ya wilaya yao, kwa kuwa wao ni wakazi wake na wanaijua vyema kuliko yeye. Hivyo, atatumia taarifa zao ili kutekeleza kazi yake ipasavyo. La pili, ni kuchukua, inapohitajika, maoni ya baraza kuhusu utendaji kazi wa Wali. Ikiwa wengi wa baraza wamelalamikia utendaji wake, Khalifah atamwondoa. Hii ni kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ alimwondoa Al-Alaa ibn Al-Hadrami, amiri wa Bahrain, kwa sababu mjumbe wa Abs Qays alilalamikia utendaji wake. Khalifah pia ana haki ya kumwondoa Wali bila sababu yoyote. Mtume ﷺ alimwondoa Muadh b. Jabal kutoka Yemen bila sababu yoyote.

As for the dismissal of the Wali, this would be up to the Khalifah, or if the majority of people in his Wilayah or their representatives showed discontent towards him. Therefore, we adopt that a wilayah council be elected from the people of the wilayah for two purposes. Firstly, to help the wali by conveying to him the reality of their wilayah for they are of its inhabitants and know better than him. So, he uses their information to perform his task properly. The second is to take if necessary the opinion of the council regarding the work of the wali. If the majority of the council complained of his performance the Khalifah would remove him. This is because the Messenger (PBUH) removed Al-Alaa ibn Al-Hadrami, the amir of Bahrain, because the delegate of Abs Qays complained of him. The Khalifah also has the right to dismiss the wali without any reason. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) dismissed Muadh b. Jabal from Yemen without any reason. .

Yeye (ﷺ) alimwondoa Al-Ala' Ibn al-Hadrami, aliyekuwa amili wake juu ya Bahrain, kwa sababu ujumbe wa kabila la Abdu Qays ulilalamikia tabia yake. ‘Umar b. Al-Khattab alikuwa akiwaondoa Walii, iwe kuna sababu au hakuna. Alimwondoa Ziyad Ibnu Abi Sufyan bila kutoa sababu, na alimwondoa Saad Ibnu Abi Waqqas kwa sababu watu walilalamika kumhusu, kisha akasema, ‘Sikumwondoa kwa sababu ya kutokuwa na uwezo wala kwa khiyana.’ Hii inathibitisha kwamba Khalifah ana haki ya kumwondoa Walii wakati wowote anapotaka, iwe watu wanaoishi katika Wilaya yake wamewasilisha malalamiko dhidi yake au hawajawasilisha.

He (PBUH) removed Al-Ala' Ibn al-Hadrami, his amil over Bahrain, because the delegation of Abdu Qays complained about him. ‘Umar b.Al- Khattab used to dismiss the Walis with or without reason. He dismissed Ziyad Ibnu Abi Sufyan without giving a reason, and he dismissed Saad Ibnu Abi Waqqas because people complained about him, and then said, ‘I did not remove him because of incompetence or betrayal.’ This proves that the Khalifah reserves the right to remove the Wali whenever he wishes whether or not the people living in his Wilayah filed a complaint against him. .

Hapo zamani za mwanzo kulikuwa na aina mbili za Wilayah: Wilayah ya Salah na Wilayah ya Kharaj. Kwa hiyo tunakuta vitabu vya historia vinatumia maneno mawili wanaporejelea Wilayah za Maamiri: la kwanza ni Imara juu ya Salah au kharaj, na jingine ni Imara juu ya Salah na Kharaj. Kwa maneno mengine, Amir anaweza kuteuliwa juu ya Salah na Kharaj zote mbili, au juu ya Salah peke yake, au juu ya kharaj peke yake. Neno Salah, katika muktadha wa Wilayah au Imara, halimaanishi kuwaongoza watu katika sala zao peke yake, bali linamaanisha kusimamia mambo yao yote isipokuwa fedha. Hii ni kwa sababu neno Salah hutumika kumaanisha kutawala isipokuwa ukusanyaji wa fedha. Kwa hiyo, ikiwa Wali atakuwa ameunganisha Salah na Kharaj, Wilayah yake itakuwa ya jumla (Wilayah amma). Ikiwa Wilayah yake ilikuwa imewekewa mipaka kwa Salah au Kharaj, basi Wilayah yake itakuwa maalum (Wilayah Khassa). Kwa vyovyote vile, jambo hili litaachwa kwa busara ya Khalifah, kwani yeye ana haki ya kuweka mipaka ya Wilayah kwa Kharaj, au kwa mahakama, au kuifunga Wilayah kwa mambo mengine zaidi ya Kharaj, mahakama na jeshi. Anaweza kuamua kile anachokiona kinafaa kwa uendeshaji wa Dola au Wilayah. Hii ni kwa sababu Shariah haijaweka wajibu fulani kwa Wali, na si lazima yeye atekeleze majukumu yote ya kutawala. Hata hivyo, imeweka kwamba majukumu ya Wali au Amir yawe yale yanayohusu utawala na mamlaka, kwamba yeye ni naibu wa Khalifah, na kwamba awe Amir juu ya eneo maalum.

There used to be two types of Wilayah in the early times: The Wilayah of Salah and the Wilayah of Kharaj. Therefore we find that history books use two terms in their reference to the Wilayah of Amirs: The first is the Imara over the Salah or the kharaj and the other is the Imara over the Salah and the Kharaj. In other words the Amir could either be appointed over both the Salah and the Kharaj, or over the Salah only or over the kharaj only. The word Salah, in the context of the Wilayah or the Imara, does not mean leading the people in their prayer only, but it means governing all their affairs except the funds. This is because the word Salah is used to mean ruling except for the levy of funds. Therefore, if the Wali had combined both the Salah and the Kharaj, his Wilayah would then be general (Wilayah amma). If his Wilayah had been restricted to the Salah or the Kharaj, his Wilayah would then be specific (Wilayah Khassa). Either way, this would be left to the Khalifah's discretion as he reserves the right to restrict the Wilayah to the Kharaj, or to the judiciary, or to confine the Wilayah to other than the Kharaj, the judiciary and the army. He can decide what he deems fit for the running of the State or the Wilayah. This is because Shariah has not determined certain duties for the Wali, and it is not obligatory that he performs all the duties of ruling. However, it has determined that the Wali's or the Amir's duties be from that pertaining to ruling and authority, that he is the deputy of the Khalifah, and that he should be an Amir over a specific region. .

Yote haya yametokana na matendo ya Mtume wa Allah ﷺ.

All this is derived from the actions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). .

Hata hivyo, Shariah inamlazimu Khalifah kumteua Wali kwa Wilayah ya jumla (amma) au Wilayah maalum (Khassa), kulingana na busara yake. Hili linaonekana katika vitendo vya Mtume wa Allah ﷺ. Mtume wa Allah ﷺ aliwateua Walii wenye majukumu ya jumla (Wilayah ‘ammah), kama alipomteua Amru b. Hazm juu ya Yemen, na aliwateua Walii wenye kazi maalum (Wilayah Khassah), kama uteuzi wa Ali b. Abi Talib juu ya mahakama huko Yemen. Imetajwa katika Seerah ya Ibn Hisham kwamba Mtume wa Allah ﷺ alimteua Farwa b. Musayk juu ya makabila ya Murad, Zubair na Midhaj. Pia alimtuma Khalid b. Sa’id b. Al-ass pamoja naye kama Wali juu ya Sadaqah. Pia imetajwa kwamba Mtume wa Allah ﷺ alimtuma Ziyad b. Labeed al-Ansari kuwa Wali juu ya Hadramawt na Sadaqah yake. Pia alimtuma Ali b. Abi Talib Najran kukusanya Sadaqah yao na Jizya yao. Pia alimtuma yeye kuwa qadhi juu ya Yemen, kama ilivyopokewa na Al-Hakim. Katika kitabu cha al-Isti’ab imetajwa kwamba Mtume wa Allah ﷺ alimtuma Mu’adh b. Jabal kwenda al-Janad kuwafundisha watu Qur’an, sheria za Kiislamu, na kuhukumu baina yao. Pia alimruhusu kukusanya Sadaqah kutoka kwa maamil huko Yemen.

However, the Shariah obliges the Khalifah to appoint a Wali as either a general (amma) or a specific (Khassa) Wilayah according to his discretion. This is reflected in the actions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) appointed Walis with general responsibilities ( Wilayah ‘ammah) , such as when he appointed Amru b.Hazm over Yemen, and he appointed Walis with specific functions (Wilayah Khassah), such as the appointment of Ali b. Abi Talib over the judiciary in Yemen. It was mentioned in the Seerah of ibn Hisham that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) appointed Farwa b. Musayk over the tribes of Murad, Zubair and Midhaj. And he sent Khalid b. Sa’id b. Al-ass with him as Wali over the Sadaqah. It also mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sent Ziyad b. Labeed al-Ansari as a Wali over Hadramawt and its Sadaqah. He also sent ‘Ali b. Abi Talib to Najran to collect their Sadaqah and their Jizya. He also sent him, as a judge over Yemen, as reported by Al-Hakim. In the book of al-Isti’ab it is mentioned that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) sent Mu’adh b. Jabal to al-Janad to teach the people about the Qur’an, the laws of Islam and to judge between them. He authorised him as well to collect the Sadaqah from the amils in Yemen. .

Ingawa Khalifa anaruhusiwa kumteua wali mwenye mamlaka ya jumla au mahususi, imethibitika kwamba wakati wa udhaifu wa Makhalifa wa Abbasi, wali mwenye mamlaka ya jumla alisaidia kutawala majimbo kwa kujitegemea bila kumtegemea Khalifa, hali ambayo Khalifa alibaki kuwa alama tu, jina lake likitajwa katika dua za jamaa na sarafu kuchongwa kwa jina lake kwa mfano tu. Hivyo, kutoa mamlaka ya jumla kulisababisha madhara kwa dola ya Kiislamu.

Though the Khalifah is allowed to appoint a wali with a general or specific wilayah, it is proved that at the time of weakness of the Abbasid Khulafaa, the general wilayah helped in the wilayaat ruling independently of the Khalifah, where the Khalifah became a mere symbol whose name was mentioned in the congregational duaas and in whose name money was symbolically minted. Thus, granting general wilayah caused harm to the Islamic state. .

Kwa kuwa inaruhusiwa kumteua wali kwa mamlaka ya jumla au mamlaka maalumu; na kwa kuwa mamlaka ya jumla ya wali inaweza kuleta madhara na hatari kubwa kwa dola, basi tunaamua kumpa wali mamlaka maalumu katika maeneo ambayo yangemfanya wali kuwa vigumu kujitenga na dola endapo taqwa yake itapungua. Kutokana na uchunguzi, tunaona kwamba maeneo yanayomwimarisha wali ni jeshi, mahakama na mali za umma. Kwa hiyo, maeneo haya lazima yatolewe katika mamlaka ya wali na yabaki yameunganishwa na Khalifah kama taasisi nyingine yoyote katika dola ya Khilafah, yaani, maeneo haya lazima yabaki chini ya mamlaka ya Khalifah.

Since it is allowed to appoint the wali with a general or a specific authority; and since the general authority of the wali might lead to harm and great danger to the state, we accordingly adopt giving the wali specific authority in areas that would make it difficult for the wali to separate from the state if his taqwa declines. From examination we find the areas that strengthen the wali are the army, judiciary and the funds. Thus, these areas must be separated from the wali’s authority and be kept connected to the Khalifah like any other organisation in the Khilafah state i.e. these areas must remain under the jurisdiction of the Khalifah. .

Wali hapaswi kuhamishwa kutoka Wilayah moja kwenda nyingine; badala yake aondolewe katika Wilayah moja kisha ateuliwe upya katika nyingine. Hili lilikuwa wazi kutokana na vitendo vya Mtume wa Allah ﷺ, ambapo alikuwa akiwaondoa Walis. Haikupokewa kwamba alikuwa akimhamisha Wali kutoka mahali pamoja kwenda pengine. Zaidi ya hayo, Wilayah ni miongoni mwa aina za mikataba inayofanyika kwa maneno wazi. Hivyo, ndani ya mkataba wa Wilayah juu ya mkoa au nchi, eneo ambalo Wali atatawala lazima liwe limebainishwa, naye atakuwa na mamlaka ya kutawala mradi tu asiondolewe na Khaleefah. Asipoondolewa katika eneo hilo, ataendelea kuwa Wali juu yake. Lakini akihamishiwa mahali pengine, hilo halitamwondoa katika nafasi yake ya kwanza, wala halitamfanya kuwa Wali juu ya mahali papya. Hii ni kwa sababu kuondolewa kwake mahali pa kwanza kunahitaji maneno wazi yanayoonyesha kwamba amefutwa Wilayah hapo; na vilevile uteuzi wake juu ya eneo jingine unahitaji mkataba mpya wa uteuzi kama Wali mahsusi kwa mahali hapo. Ndiyo maana Wali hahamishwi kutoka mahali pamoja kwenda pengine, bali hufutwa majukumu yake mahali pamoja kisha hupewa Wilayah mpya juu ya mahali papya.

The Wali should not be transferred from one Wilayah to another; rather he should be relieved from one Wilayah and then reappointed in another. This was clear from the actions of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) where he used to remove the Walis. It has not been reported that he used to transfer a Wali from one place to another. Besides, the Wilayah is one of the types of contracts that are convened with explicit words. So within the contract of a Wilayah over a province or a country, the area over which the Wali is to govern must be determined, and he would have the mandate of ruling as long as he is not removed by the Khaleefah. If he were not removed from that area he would remain a Wali over it. However if he were transferred to another place this would not remove him from his first position and nor would it make him a Wali over the new place. This is because his removal from the first place requires clear words stating that he is relieved from the Wilayah there; and similarly his appointment over another region requires a new contract of appointment as a Wali specific to that place. This is why the Wali is not transferred from one place to another, but is relieved of his duties from one place and then given a new Wilayah over the new place.