The Wulah are appointed by the Khaleefah, whereas the ‘Aamileen are appointed by the Khaleefah and by the Wulah if they are delegated to do so. The conditions required for the Wulah and ‘Aamileen are the same as those of the Assistants. They should be Muslim, male, free, mature, sane and just, as well as competent in their task, and they should be chosen from among the pious and the influential Muslims.

It was the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) who used to appoint the Wulah and the Ameers of the countries. He (swt) used to appoint them over a whole Wilayah as in the case of Amr Ibnu Hazm when He appointed Him over the whole of Yemen. In some cases, He (pbuh) used to appoint a Waali over a part of the Wilayah as was the case with Mu’az bin Jabal and Abu Moussa. He (pbuh) sent each one of them to a different part of Yemen, each part independent of the other, and He said to them:

“Be gentle and do not be harsh, bring glad tidings and do not drive people away and do help each other.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhari] In other narration, He (pbuh) added; “and co-operate with each other.” As for the evidence regarding the fact that the Waali is permitted to appoint the ‘Aamileen within his Wilayah, this is taken from the fact that the Khaleefah reserves the right to delegate the appoinment of ‘Aamileen to the Waali.

Regarding the evidence about the conditions required for the Waali’s post being the same as those for the delegated Assistant, this is extracted from the fact that the Waali is like the Mu’awin (the Assistant) He is a deputy to the Khaleefah in ruling matters. Therefore, He is a ruler and He should fulfil the same requirement of the Khaleefah. He should be male, for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said; “People who appoint a woman to have a Wilayah over their Amr (affairs) shall never succeed.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhari on the authority of Abi Bakra] Here the word Wilayah means ruling; and the word Amr, when used in the context of Wilayah, means ruling and authority. He should also be a free man, for the slave does not own himself, thus He cannot be a ruler over others. He should also be Muslim, for Allah (pbuh) says; “Allah will never allow authority to the disbelievers over the believers.” [TMQ An-Nisa’: 141]

He should also be mature and sane, for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said; “Three types of people are exempt from punishment...” and they include “...the child until He is mature and the insane until He is cured.” [Narrated by Abu Dawood] Whoever is not punishable cannot be accountable, and if punishment is lifted so is his accountability, therefore He cannot take the responsibilty of executing rules i.e. take the authority. Another condition is that the Waali must be just, for Allah (swt) has made it a condition for the witness, and there is more reason for it to be a condition required for the ruler, because Allah (swt) says; “O you who believe, if a Fasiq (sinner) came to you with some news then do verify it.” [TMQ Al-Hujurat: 6] So verification has been ordered when a Fasiq comes with the news, and the ruler should of those whose verdict is taken without verification. Therefore, it would be forbidden that the ruler be from among those whose word is not accepted except after verification when He judges. It is also a condition for the Waali to be competent and able to perform the ruling tasks that have been assigned to him. This is because the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to Abu Dharr when He requested appointment over a Wilayah:

“I think you are weak.” Another narration says; “O Abu Dharr! You are weak and this post is a trust.” [Both are narrated on the authority of Muslim on the authority of Abu Dharr] This serves as evidence that He who is weak, i.e. incompetent is not fit to be a Waali.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to select his Wulah from among the good people, and those who had knowledge and were known for their piety. He used to select them from among those who were experts in their field, and who would fill people’s hearts with Iman and respect for the State. Sulayman Ibnu Barida reported on the authority of his father that He said; “Whenever the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) appointed an Ameer over an army or an expedition, He used to advise Him to fear Allah and to be good to the Muslims who accompany him.” [Narrated by Muslim] Since the Waali is, in fact, an Ameer over his Wilayah, the Hadith would then apply to Him as well.

As for the dismissal of the Waali, this would be up to the Khaleefah, and the majority of people in his Wilayah or their representatives if they showed discontent towards him. It is the Khaleefah who removes him. This is because the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) dismissed Mu’az bin Jabal from Yemen without any reason, and He (pbuh) removed Al-Ala’ Ibnul- Hadhrami, his ‘Amil over Bahrain, because the delegation of Abdu Qays complained about him. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab used to dismiss the Wulah with or without reason. He dismissed Ziad Ibnu Abi Sufyan without giving a reason, and He dismissed Sa’d Ibnu Abi Waqqas because the people complained about him, and then said; “I did not remove Him because of incompetence or betrayal.” This proves that the Khaleefah reserves the right to remove the Waali whenever He wished if the people living in his Wilayah filed a complaint against him.