Wali vs. Vali — What's the Difference?

A wali (wali Arabic: وَلِيّ‎, walīy; plural أَوْلِيَاء, ʾawliyāʾ), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the more literal "friend of God".When the Arabic definite article "al" (ال) is added, it refers to one of the names of God in Islam, Allah - al-Walī (الْوليّ), meaning "the Helper, Friend". In the traditional Islamic understanding of saints, the saint is portrayed as someone "marked by [special] divine favor ...

Alternative form of wali

A provincial governor in certain Muslim contexts.

(Norse mythology) one of the Aesir and avenger of Balder; son of Odin

(Islam) A saint or prophet.