Velayat

Velayat, written in Persian as ولایت, is a term derived from the Arabic wilāya meaning guardianship, authority, or jurisdiction. In general use, velayat denotes protective or governing power over people, communities, or territories and can refer to familial, communal, or governmental responsibility. The word is common in religious and political discourse in Iran and in broader Persian-speaking communities.

In religious thought, velayat conveys the guardianship or leadership of legitimate authorities. In Shia Islam, wilāya describes the spiritual and temporal authority believed to be vested in the Prophet, the Imams, and, in some interpretations, later in qualified religious scholars. A modern development is velāyat-e faqih, the Guardianship of the Jurist, which argues that in the absence of the hidden Imam, a qualified Islamic jurist should exercise political authority to safeguard Islamic law and the community.

In Iran, velayat-e faqih is a central element of the political framework established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The constitution assigns supreme authority to the Guardian Jurist and, by extension, to the country's top religious and political leader. This arrangement is intended to unify religious legitimacy with state governance; supporters see it as ensuring continuity of religious law with practical governance, while critics question accountability and democratic representation.

Outside political theory, velayat is used more broadly to denote protective authority in family, religious, and civil life. The term thus occupies a significant place in theological, legal, and political vocabulary across Persian-speaking societies.