One is that all elements in the Islamic society should have one purpose...

One is that all elements in the Islamic society should have one purpose, one direction and one path. And the other is that the Nation of Islam should break ties from all external elements and groups opposed to Islam. At this moment there is a subtle point that tells us that the interpretation of Wilayat according to Qur'an is the same as what Shi'ahs believe in.

The importance given in Shi'ah to the association with Imam; the way we enforce order of an Imam in all facets of social life; what is it for and what is the basis for it?

Here the Glorious Qur'an tells us that if a society and a nation wants to practice Qur'anic Wilayat; in other words if it wants all its internal powers focused in one direction, one purpose and one path; if it wants all its internal powers ready to combat with the external forces opposing Islam; then it needs to have a central point of power in the Islamic society; it needs a focal point that all the internal powers are linked to and from whom they seek guidance, listen to and follow.

Furthermore, that focal point should be mindful of what is good for the nation and what can be harmful to the nation so that as a strong, far-sighted and sagacious commander he can assign his troops on the battlefield for the right tasks. There needs to be a guardian, a commander and a central power who knows what you can do, what I can do and what others can do, so he can assign responsibilities based on capabilities. As an example, have you seen a carpet-weaving factory?

A number of people work in the factory. Every young and old weaves with a thread. If all of them are not in sync with each other; if there is no one authority supervising them, who tells them about the design of the carpet, who issues instructions so they know what thread to use, how to weave and how to move forward, can you imagine what sort of a carpet will come out?

You will see that the right portion will be of Eastern style, the left portion Western style; one side will be Kurdish and the other Turkish. The outcome will be a disorderly ugly thing with strange features. A specific style, balance and order you see in a carpet is because clear instructions were in place for its preparation and there was someone continuously directing the workers towards these instructions.

The Qualities of a Wali (Guardian) If a society wants to have all its powers focused on one point and does not want its energies wasted, it needs to have one central power - one heart.