All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
"Wali al-Amr" is a term that Allah has mentioned in the Noble Quran where He said {What means}: "O ye who believe! Obey God, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you."{An-Nisa`, 59}. The term "Wali al-Amr" is given to those charged with authority. Accordingly, a scholar is charged with the authority of running the religious affairs of the Muslims, the parents are charged with the authority of running the affairs of their children, and the rulers are charged with the authority of running the worldly and religious affairs that are beneficial to the Muslims. The Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Whosoever obeys me, obeys Allah; and he who disobeys me, disobeys Allah; and whosoever obeys the Amir (leader), in fact, obeys me; and he who disobeys the Amir, in fact, disobeys me. {Bukhari&Muslim}.
Allah the Almighty commanded obeying those charged with authority. Imam At-Tabari {May Allah have mercy on him} said: "Allah is telling the believers to obey Him in what He has commanded and forbidden, and to obey His Messenger Mohammad {Peace and blessings be upon him} since obeying the latter is obeying the former. This is because you obey the Messenger as Allah commanded you to do. {Those charged with authority among you} refers to the Amirs (Leaders) because, based on the authentic Hadiths reported from the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him), he (Peace and blessings be upon him) commanded obeying them in what Allah has made lawful and beneficial to the Muslim people." {Tafseer At-Tabari, Vol.8:502}.
Accordingly, nowadays, the ruler of the state is actually "Wali al-Amr", so he must be obeyed and it is unlawful to rebel against him, because he takes care of the affairs of the Muslims and leads them to what is beneficial to them in religious and worldly matters. Therefore, people must obey him in what is lawful and it is unlawful to rebel against him. Similalrly, the ruler must perform the duties entrusted to him, give rights to whom they belong, give advice to his subjects, take care of their affairs, and deal with them justly. In this regard, Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him) said, "All of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects. The ruler is a guardian and responsible for his subjects; the man is a guardian of his family; the woman is guardian in her husband's house and responsible for her wards; a servant is guardian of his master's property and responsible for his ward. So all of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects". {Related by Bukhari}. In conclusion, being charged with authority is a trust for which a person will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment. And Allah the Almighty knows best.
