The Linguistic Journey of Urdu Words: From Vilaayat to Sufism

The linguistic phenomenon of how words evolve and travel through different meanings is truly fascinating. In this discussion, we are going to explore a few Urdu words and their journey through time and languages to understand how their meanings shift.

One such word is "ولایت" (vilayaat), a term that you might have often heard in the context of British India. "ولایت" used to refer to England, or more specifically, the UK. People traveling to England for studies were known as "ولایت پلٹ" (vilaayat Palat), meaning someone who returned from England. Items from England were also referred to as "ولایتی" (vilaayati).

The word "ولایت" (vilaayat) has its roots in Arabic, where it carries several meanings. In Arabic, it denotes closeness to God or sainthood. But how does this relate to India, you might ask? Hold on, let’s explore. The term vilayaat  also means country, realm or province.

The Arabic root word "وِلا" vilaa is the key word here. (It has nothing to do with the English "villa") This root carries meanings of love, friendship, proximity, and ownership. From this root comes the word "ولی" (valii), which is used in several contexts. A valii can be someone who is beloved, a friend, an ally, or a guardian. For example, "ولی عہد" (valii-ahd) refers to the heir to the throne, and "ولی اللہ" (valii.ullaah) refers to someone who is a close friend of God, a saint, or someone with deep spiritual closeness to God. In Urdu, the term valii typically refers to a virtuous person, a pious individual, or a holy man.

This brings to mind a famous couplet by the poet Ghalib:

یہ مسائل تصوف، یہ ترا بیان غالب
تجھے ہم ولی سمجھتے جو نہ بادہ خوار ہوتا

These matters of Sufism, this rendition of yours, Ghalib,
We would have considered you a saint, had you not been a wine-drinker

Valii and vilaayat are used as people’s name too.

The plural of " valii " is "اولیا" (auliyaa), and the name of the famous Sufi saint, Nizamuddin Auliyaa, comes from this very root. He was often referred to as Nizam al-auliyaa (Leader of the Saints). Over time, people started calling him "Nizamuddin Auliyaا" for ease.

There's also an Urdu idiom related to  auliyaa
"گھڑی میں اولیا، گھڑی میں بھوت"
(Ghari mein Auliya, Ghari mein Bhoot)

This means someone whose behavior can change drastically, from saintly to devilish, or someone whose personality is unreliable — they may seem very nice one moment and turn nasty the next.

The word  valii also gave rise to the term "والی" (vaalii), which refers to a guardian, owner, patron, supporter or ally.

There are also other related words like "مولا" (Maula) and "موالی" (Mawali), which we'll explore some other time.