Do Muslims believe in saints?

The "friends of Allah" in the Quran

The closest Islamic idea to a saint is the wali (plural awliya), which means a friend or ally of Allah. The Quran describes them simply:

The next verse explains who they are: "those who believed and were fearing Allah" (Quran 10:63). So being a wali is not a title or a rank. It is open to every Muslim, man or woman, scholar or bus driver. In a hadith qudsi, Allah says that whoever shows hostility to a friend of His has declared war on Him, and that His servant keeps coming closer through voluntary worship until Allah loves him (Sahih al-Bukhari 6502).

How this differs from saints in Christianity

• No canonization. Islam has no church body that declares someone a saint. Nobody can be sure who is a wali, and no one should claim it for themselves.
• No praying to them. Dua is worship, and worship belongs to Allah alone. Muslims don't ask the dead for help, healing or children. See What is intercession in Islam?
• No patron saints. There is no saint of travelers, sailors or lost things. You call on Allah directly for everything.
• No relics or icons to venerate. Respect for good people is shown by following their example, not by touching objects linked to them.

Respect without exaggeration

Muslims deeply love the prophets, the Companions and the great scholars, and often say "may Allah have mercy on him" when they are mentioned. But Islam warns against going too far. The Prophet ﷺ said, "Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the son of Mary. I am only His servant" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3445). If that applies to the final Prophet, it applies even more to anyone else. See Do Muslims worship Muhammad?

What about shrines and tombs?

In some Muslim countries you'll see tombs of famous pious people that attract visitors. Visiting a grave to greet the dead and pray for them is a sunnah. But scholars agree that praying to the person in the grave, or believing they can grant wishes, contradicts tawhid (the oneness of Allah). Sufi traditions honour the awliya strongly, and practices around shrines are debated among Muslims, so as a convert, stick to the clear basics: pray to Allah alone, and ask Him to have mercy on the righteous.