In his book of Tohfa Ithna Asharia, Ahle Sunnat scholar of Indiansubcontinent, Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi, has tried to commit a great bluff whentrying to refute that the tradition of Ghadeer implies Imamate. He says that thisreasoning is not complete unless the term of Maula comes in the meaning ofWali. While the fact is that this particular adjective form has not come in themeaning of superlative.
Through this statement, he wants to invalidate the definite claim of theexperts of grAmmaar that Maula is used to imply Wali. And Wali implies the‘master of affair’, like the guardian of the woman, guardian of the orphan,guardian of the slave, succession of the ruler, that is one entrusted with rulershipafter the present ruler.
Yes, the statements of Faraa (d. 207 A.H.) in Maaniul Quran1 and Abu Abbas Mubarrad, who says: “Wali and Maula mean the same,” has remained concealed from Dehlavi.
He is unaware of consensus of grand scholars of language on this meaning,and from the fact that they have mentioned Awla as one of the meanings ofMaula in lexicons and dictionaries.
As it is mentioned in Mushkilul Quran of Anbari, Al-Kashaf wal Bayan2, Thalabi in the verse of:
“Thou art our Patron.”3
Sihah of Jauhari4 , Ghareebul Quran of Sajistani5 , Qamus of Firozabadi6 , Al-Wasit of Wahidi , Tafseer Qurtubi7 and Nihaya of Ibne Athir8.