by Umm Isam – Content Writer
“… And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.” (An Nisa 4:81)
Al-Wakeel, one of Allah’s (swt) beautiful names, is mentioned in the Quran fourteen times.
Who is Al-Wakeel?
He is the Disposer of affairs, Who can be trusted as He is the sole Owner of all that exists. Allah Al-Wakeel can dispose of the affairs of all His creatures because He is the One Who provides for them, grants their request and fulfills their needs. He assists and protects those who seek His refuge.
Al-Wakeel takes charge of the Momineen’s (righteous believers) affairs by guiding them to all that is easy. He keeps them away from hardships and provides assistance.
How Allah’s (swt) other attributes come together in the name Al-Wakeel?
- Allah is Ash-Shaheed
Allah (swt) is the only One Who witnesses and observes the happenings of the past, present and the future. Nothing is absent from His Divine Observance. Hence only He can be the absolute Guardian for everyone.
- Allah is Al-Kafeel
He is the ultimate Caretaker. Only Allah (swt) manages the affairs of all that exists whether seen or unseen. Hence He can be trusted to become our Guardian.
- Allah is Al-Hafeez
He is the absolute Protector of all His creation as only He has the knowledge, ability, authority and control over them. Nobody can harm His creation without Allah’s (swt) permission and wisdom. What befalls the believers in Dunya is decreed for them promising noble rewards in the Aakhirah.
- Allah is Al-Kaafi
Allah (swt) is Sufficient for His entire creation against any enemy. Their size, power, number, ability, technology, etc. nothing matters. Remember how Allah (swt) has rescued His prophets and believers repeatedly from tyrants.
Conclusively, Allah Al-Wakeel is the Witness, Caretaker, Protector and Sufficient for all of
His creation.
“The term Wakeel is also a legal term which refers to a power of attorney. It is someone you trust who you transfer responsibility to, knowing that they will make decisions on your behalf in your best of interests.
Allah (swt) is our Wakeel, meaning we transfer responsibility to Him to take care of everything. He is our Sole Guardian and Protector and always has our back.” (Shabbir Hassan)
Understanding the concept of Tawakkul upon Allah Al-Wakeel
Tawakkul in Allah (swt) can be loosely translated as having full hope in Him or placing our reliance in Allah (swt). Does that mean we do nothing and wait for miracles to happen? Wrong. It means “Tie your camel, then have Tawakkul in Allah.” (At-Tirmidhi).
In the modern age, we may understand it as: ‘lock your car before leaving it in the parking lot.’ It also means that do not leave valuables inside the car to tempt anyone to break in. Do not park the car in a ‘no-parking’ zone to invite a ticket from the cop. Next it means to not leave the car unattended in a notorious neighbourhood where car-jacking is common.
A believer is smart and takes all his precautions and then hands over his fate to Allah-Al-Wakeel. If still something bad happened to his car, it was decreed for him. Every loss in the world when dealt with patience and reliance upon Allah (swt) brings the believer closer to Jannah his eternal home of bliss and blessings where he won’t have to worry about anything at all. That’s where Allah (swt) wants to take us.
At no point and time should we feel that Allah (swt) was unable to protect us from this loss. He doesn’t like us so He got even with us or He wants to punish us. No, Allah (swt) always wants to draw closer to His slaves. Sometimes that happens when we receive bounties from Him. And sometimes that happens when He takes away blessings from us.
Understanding Prophet Muhammad’s (sa) Tawakkul upon Allah Al-Wakeel
The Divine attribute of Allah Al-Wakeel can be understood through the prophet’s (sa) life too.
“Taking from the means of this world does not negate Tawakkul, rather part of Tawakkul is exerting our efforts then leaving the rest to Allah (swt). This is found in the example of our prophet (sa). When he needed money, he would go out and work for it, then leave his Rizq (provision) to Allah (swt). Before a military expedition, he would prepare his army and wear an armour, before leaving the results to Allah Al-Wakeel. Likewise, when he fell ill, he turned to medication and Dua.” (Shabbir Hassan)
Making Dua to Allah Al-Wakeel
حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
“… Sufficient for us is Allah, and (He is) the best of Disposer of affairs.” (Ale Imran 3:173)
Partially adapted from a class taught by Safiya Khan and Noor ul Islam, UK.
About author
