Allah as the Protector of the Believers in the Light of Qur’an and Hadith
Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
❖ Question:
Sayyidunā al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib رضي الله عنه narrated that during the battle of Uḥud, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to the polytheists of Makkah:
الله مولانا، ولا مولى لكم
“Allah is our Protector, and you have no protector.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 4043)
Does this mean Allah is only the Protector of Muslims and not of disbelievers?
❖ Answer:
The term Mawlā (مولى) has multiple meanings. In this context, it refers to protector, ally, and friend.
- Allah is the Protector, Helper, and Ally of the believers.
- He does not befriend the disbelievers; rather, He humiliates them and abandons them.
❖ Evidences from the Qur’an
◈ Allah says:
وَإِنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ ۖ وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُتَّقِينَ
And indeed, the wrongdoers are allies of one another, but Allah is the Protector of the righteous.
(al-Jāthiyah: 19)
◈ Allah says:
وَاللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
And Allah is the Protector of the believers.
(Āl ʿImrān: 68)
◈ Allah says:
إِنَّ وَلِيِّيَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْكِتَابَ وَهُوَ يَتَوَلَّى الصَّالِحِينَ
Indeed, my Protector is Allah, Who has revealed the Book, and He befriends the righteous.
(al-Aʿrāf: 196)
Conclusion:Allah is Mawlā (Protector and Friend) only for the believers. As for the disbelievers, they have no Mawlā; instead, they will be abandoned and disgraced.
