al-Wakīl

The Trustee, on whom one relies

Begin the series ↓

Recited as it sounds in the Qur'an, 3:173.

Heard together with: al-Wakīl / al-Kāfī (not on list)

Start with what we know

Then take away everything it needs. What is left is not a bigger version of us. It is the Name.

Episode 1

In us

A trustee, guardian or power of attorney handles another's affairs.

But: Can fail, fall ill, die, misjudge or be dishonest; needs records and oversight.

Episode 2

In nature

A hatchling depends wholly on a parent's provisioning; if the parent dies, the chick usually dies.

Episode 3

At our best

NASA's Deep Space Network: three ground complexes keep contact with distant craft. On 21 July 2023 a wrong command turned Voyager 2's antenna 2° off; contact was regained by a 'shout' from Canberra and data resumed on 4 Aug 2023, 19.9 billion km away.

But: One mis-sent command cut the link for two weeks; every reply took 18.5 hours one way.

Episode 4

The Break

Take away absence, sleep, error, delay, a link that can break.

Every trustee we have can drop the signal. al-Wakīl has no signal to drop.

Read: 65:3; 73:9; 4:81.

From the tradition: Prophetic balance: 'Tie it and rely (upon Allah)' (Tirmidhi 2517, graded ḥasan). Ghazālī: the true wakīl is the one to whom affairs are entrusted and who is fully adequate to them.

On screen

—

Where it shows up

In scripture: Q 3:173; 4:81; 65:3; 73:9; Ps 55:23; 1 Pet 5:7; Tirmidhi 2517.
The same thread in Jewish and Christian scripture: Psalm 55:23 (Eng 55:22) 'Cast your burden on GOD and you will be sustained'; 1 Peter 5:7 'casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you'. Moderate.
In the universe: Voyager 2 lost and regained (JPL, Aug 2023).
In nature: Migration card (BBC Earth 'Earth's Greatest Animal Migrations', 2026): animals entrusting themselves to a route they cannot see.
In people: 'Ḥasbunā Allāh wa niʿma l-wakīl': said, the Qur'an reports, by believers told an army had gathered against them (3:173).
In science: Systems engineering: redundancy and single points of failure.

Living it

Trust after effort: tie the camel, then rely.

Its kind

Act: something done: mercy shown, provision given, a prayer answered.

In the Qur'an: 3:173; 4:81; 73:9

Watch and listen

Films, documentaries and voices that reach towards this Name. Each links out to where you can watch it.

FreefilmLife of PiA boy who loves God in three faiths, a tiger and an ocean: the film asks which story about God you'd rather believe.2012 · 127 · Ang Lee (dir.); Fox 2000 · Stream: Disney Plus, ITVX; Free: ITVX; Rent/buy: Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video, Sky Store, YouTube

Trailer ↗Where to watch in the UK ↗

Sources for this page

jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-mission-update-voyager-2-communications-pause; hadith-api eng-tirmidhi 2517; sefaria; bible-api.com (WEB)