own affairs, He will beautifully save him the hardship of any task and will grant him more
than He grants others; He gives sufficiently to those who rely on Him. He takes care of the
affairs of His servants. He initiated the giving to man without the latter having asked Him,
and He gave man everything he needed. Whenever man pleads to Him, He directs His
attention to him and beautifully looks after him. If he remains on the straight path, He will
seal his deeds with the beauty of His guardianship.
Linguistically, a wakeel is one upon whom one relies; so, this is why it is said that one who
relies on Allah will come to know that Allah suffices him in as far as his sustenance and
affairs are concerned, so he relies on Him and only Him and depends on none but Him. The
wakeel of someone else is the person who efficiently represents him or does on his behalf
what he is incapable of doing.
In Surat Hud, Allah addresses His Messenger Muhammed saying, "You are only a warner,
and Allah is Custodian over all things" (Qura'n, 11:12), that is, "Your responsibility is simply
to convey the Message, to warn against the dire consequences of rejecting it, to invite people
to accept it, while Allah manages the affairs of His servants and watches over them,
something which you do not have to do, since it is the responsibility of the Creator towards
His creatures, and it is not a subject to be taught or conveyed."
Narrating the tale of Yaqoob (Jacob) and his sons, the Almighty says in Surat Yousuf (Joseph), "And when they gave him their pledge, he said: Allah is the One in Whom trust is placed as regarding what we say" (Qura'n, 12:66). In Surat al-Ahzab, the Almighty addresses His Messenger Muhammed saying, "The Lord of the east and the west; there is no god but He; therefore, take Him for Protector" (Qura'n, 73:9). The address here is repeated twice to the Messenger of Allah; therefore, the Messenger of Allah used to quite often remember his Lord, al-Wakeel al-Hafiz, reminding his companions and followers never to neglect mentioning this Gracious Attribute during the time of trouble, hardship and affliction. The Messenger of Allah once said, "How can I feel happy knowing that the one charged with blowing the horn (i.e. archangel Israfil) has picked the horn and bent his forehead listening to the order to blow it?" His companions asked him, "Then what are we supposed to say, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Say:Hasbuna Allah wa ni`mal-Wakeel (Allah suffices us,
and Great is the Guardian)!'"
The Messenger of Allah used to plead to his Lord, al-Wakeel, on every occasion, saying,
"Lord! I implore You not to permit me to rely on my own self even for the twinkling of an
eye else I should surely perish." According to one qudsi tradition, the Almighty, addressing
His Messenger, says, "You are My servant and Messenger, and I have named you al-
Mutawakkil [one who trusts in and relies on his Lord];" therefore, the Messenger of Allah was
ordered by his Lord to do so; i.e. to always rely on Him. In Surat Ali-`Imran, He says, "... so
once you have made up your mind, place your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who
trust (in Him)" (Qura'n, 3:159), that is, "Having consulted your companions regarding a
matter, you must rely on Allah in effecting it, and have confidence in His assistance and help,