In Thy name, we live

Episode 9: Al-Wakeel (The Ultimate Trustee)

In the name of Allah[1], The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful, all praises be to Allah,
Lord of the worlds[2]. All Prayers and Blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger of
Allah (SAWS)[3].
Today we will talk about a very beautiful name that gives us a sense of comfort, safety,
and reassurance. Understanding this name is especially helpful to those who are
depressed, anxious, or worried about their future. The name we are going to deal with
today is Al-Wakeel, or The Ultimate Trustee.
Todays episode will deal with five main points: an introduction, the meaning of The
Ultimate Trustee, how can one determine whether he/she truly trusts Allah (SWT)[4],
examples of how Allah (SWT) always supports those who trust Him and grants them
victory, and finally, some beautiful meanings related to the name, The Ultimate
Trustee.
First, let us start with the introduction. I would like to say that all people need to
understand the meaning of The Ultimate Trustee, including parents who are worried
about their children and youth who are worried about their future, job opportunities,
marriage, etc. This name also touches those who have big dreams and plans but are
afraid to fail. Every single person in this nation needs to understansd this name.
What does the The Ultimate Trustee mean? When you go to a notary publics office to
issue someone a general power of attorney, the officer asks you if you are sure about this.
A general power of attorney means that you give this person the authority to act on your
behalf in all your affairs. To give someone a general power of attorney, he/she must meet
three essential criteria: he must be worthy of your trust, he has to be experienced, and he
must truly care about your welfare. It is difficult to find a person who can fulfill these
three criteria, but Allah (SWT), being The Ultimate Trustee, fulfills them all!
Every ayah[5] in which Allah calls on people to make Him their trustee is preceded by a
description of His power and authority. Allah (SWT) says what can be translated
as, And to Allah belongs the Unseen of the heavens and the earth; and to Him all
Command will be returned. So worship Him and put your trust in Him
(TMQ[6], 11: 123). Also, He (SWT) says what can be translated as, The Lord of the
east and the west; there is no god except He; so take Him for yourself as an EverTrusted Trustee (TMQ, 73: 9). You should feel safe and reassured when you listen to
such ayahs! We entrust Allah because He is the Lord of the universe and everything in
the universe belongs to Him. How could we trust weak people and not trust Him?

Please do not misunderstand me. We have to trust people too and resort to them when we
need help. For example, we should go to a qualified physician when we feel sick or seek
out officials whom we think can help us in our affairs. However, we should always bear
in mind that only Allah (SWT) has the control and power over all things.
So what does The Ultimate Trustee mean? It means that He kindly controls His
worshippers affairs and takes care of them. He never abandons them nor leaves them to
someone else. Even if everyone is against you, you should feel safe because Allah is
your trustee and He will protect you.
Listen to the following ayah, The ones to whom the multitude (Literally: mankind)
said, Surely the multitude have already gathered against you, so be apprehensive of
them. Yet, it increased them in belief, and they said, Allah is The Reckoner enough
for us, and how excellent is The Ever-Trusted Trustee! (TMQ, 3: 173). This ayah is
talking about the Prophets companions after the Battle of Uhud. Many of them died and
were injured in this battle, and the rest were feeling down and distressed. The
Prophet(SAWS) knew that Quraish may return to fight them again, so he told his
companions that no one shall fight with him again except those who fought with him in
the Battle of Uhud. On their way to Madinah, and at a place called Hamra al-Asad,
the Muslims received a messenger from Quraish sent to instill fear into them. The
messenger told the Prophet that Quraish had donned its war attire and that they have
gathered all Arabs to fight them. The Prophet (SAWS) said nothing but cried out with his
companions, Allah suffices us, for He is the best disposer of affairs. This cry scared
the messenger who returned to Quraish and told them that the Muslims are uttering
[passionate] words; they will eat you alive! Listen to the next ayah (which follows
the ayah above), So they turned over (Or: turned around) with favor from Allah
and (His) Grace; no odious (disadvantage) did touch them; and they followed closely
the all-blessed Satisfaction of Allah; and Allah is The Owner of magnificent Grace
(TMQ, 3: 174).
For this reason, the Prophet (SAWS) teaches us to entrust Allah at all times. One of
the dhikr (the remembrance of Allah) that he has ordered us to say every morning and
evening is Allah is enough (Reckoner) for me. There is no god except He. In Him I
have put my trust; He is the Lord of the Magnificent Throne. He (SAWS) tells us that
he who says this seven times every morning, will have Allah care for his affairs that day.
Similarly, the Prophet (SAWS) ordered us to say once we leave our houses, In the name
of Allah, I entrust my soul to Allah, and there is no power but in Allah. He who says
this, will be guided, defended, and protected, and no devil will be able to mislead him.
What Are The Signs That You Are Entrusting Your Soul To Allah?
First, if you find yourself repeating the name of The Ultimate Trustee and experiencing
this feeling of entrusting your soul to Allah in times of difficulties, then you are truly
trusting Allah with your soul. Our example in this is Ibrahim (AS) (Abraham). When he
was about 16 years of age, he was accused of destroying the idols his tribe worshipped.
As a result of this unforgiveable crime, he was convicted to be burnt alive. A huge

construction was built, then set on fire so he would be thrown in. Allah says about this
what can be translated as "They said, Burn him away and vindicate your gods, in
case you are performing that (TMQ, 21: 68). However, Ibrahim (AS) remained
steadfast and assured. When he was about to be thrown into the fire, Jibril (AS) (Gabriel)
came to him and asked whether he wanted anything. He replied that he wanted nothing
from Jibril (AS), but from Allah; he uttered the phrase "Allah suffices me, for He is the
best disposer of affairs". As a reward for his great trust in Allah, He, the Omnipotent,
ordered the fire to change its qualities in order not to burn Ibrahim (AS). Allah says
about this what can be translated as, We said, O fire, be coolness and peace
upon Ibrahim! (TMQ, 21: 69).
Second, the more difficult the situation is, the more common it is for people to lose hope;
whereas he who entrusts his soul to Allah is more optimistic as the situation gets darker.
The Ultimate Trustee sometimes tests you by destroying the worldly means on which
you depend. If you lose hope, then you were not truly entrusting your soul to Allah. An
evident example of this, is the Prophet (SAWS) during the Year of Grief. When he most
needed his uncle Abu-Taleb and his wife Khadijah, they both passed away in the same
month. The important lesson Allah wanted to teach his Prophet was, "I am the Protector.
I am the Ultimate Trustee".
Another example from seerah (the biography of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS)) is the
journey of the Prophet(SAWS) to Taif. He walked for 100km in order to call the people
of Taif to Islam, but they refused to believe. Moreover, they hit him with stones until his
feet bled, but The Ultimate Trustee was always there for him. On his way back to
Makkah, the boy Addas believed in his message; and when he started to read Qur'an
aloud,jinn[7] heard him and believed in Allah. After this, the incident of al-israa and almiraj[8] took place in which he was honored in heaven, then al-Ansar (the residents of
Madinah) believed in him and supported him untilhijrah (the migration from Makkah to
Madinah) took place. Allah decides what is best for you; so trust Him!
Third, never earn your living in an unlawful way, as Allah is The Sustainer and The
Superb Provider. There is a very good example which shows how man is unaware that
Allah is The Superb Provider. The embryo in his mother's womb is blessed by one
source of food through the mother's blood. When the baby is born, he cries for losing this
known source, so Allah gives him two sources for food instead; milk from his mother's
breasts. After being weaned, he cries for losing these sources, so Allah gives him four
sources of food instead; meat, fish, water and milk. At his deathbed, he cries for leaving
the world which he knows, so Allah opens jannah(Paradise) to him which has eight doors.
How short-sighted man is?!
Fourth, do not be too anxious about the future. Fear and anxiety about one's future is
normal; however, being too anxious means that you do not entrust your soul to Allah.

Fifth, work hard and at the same time believe in your heart in The Ultimate Trustee. An

example of this ishijrah the best situation to teach us how one can entrust one's soul to
Allah. The Prophet (SAWS) depended on worldly means and planned for hijrah perfectly
and creatively. However, when he and his companion were overtaken by the people of
Quraish, the Prophet (SAWS) put his faith in Allah and said to Abu-Bakr, calming him
down, What do you think is the destiny of two people who have Allah for their
Companion?"
Examples of Those Who Entrusted Their Souls to Allah
Lady Hajar, wife of Ibrahim (AS), demonstrated to us a great example in entrusting one's
soul to Allah when Ibrahim (AS) left her in the desert with their child
Ismail (AS) (Ishmael). She asked Ibrahim (AS) if it was Allah who ordered him to do
so, and he replied yes, so she said with conviction, "then He shall not forsake us".
One of the nicest instances of entrusting one's soul to Allah is Istikhara[9] prayer.
Istikhara results only in good outcomes because it is a trust in Allah's choice. However,
never be passively dependent on Allah. In the journey of al-israa and al-miraj, the
prophet (SAWS) tied al-Buraq[10], although it was not in danger of running away,
because he was used to considering worldly means in addition to trusting Allah.
How to Entrust Your Soul to Allah?
We have to train ourselves to trust in Allah. When Musa (AS) (Moses) saw the cane
turning into a snake for the first time, he ran away in fear. The second time around, he
did not run; however, he entertained a fright within himself, being confronted by the
magicians. Whereas the third time, the most difficult of these situations, when the army
of the Pharaoh was behind them and the sea in front of them, he had no fear; he said what
can be translated as, "Not at all. Surely my Lord is with me; He will soon guide me"
(TMQ, 26: 62).
What's Our Duty Towards This Name?
Train yourself how to entrust your soul to Allah. Develop the habit of saying
in dhikr (the remembrances of Allah) every morning and evening, "Allah suffices me, for
He is the best disposer of affairs". Highlight this value in your life.
[1] The word Allah is the Arabic term for God. Although the use of the word "Allah" is
most often associated with Islam, it is not used exclusively by Muslims; Arab Christians
and Arabic-speaking Jews also use it to refer to the One God. The Arabic word expresses
the unique characteristics of the One God more precisely than the English term. Whereas
the word "Allah" has no plural form in Arabic, the English form does, and the word
'Allah' in Arabic has no connotation of gender. Allah is the God worshipped by all
Prophets, from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.
[2] Mankind, jinn and all creation
[3] Salla Allah alayhe Wa Salam [All Prayers and Blessings of Allah be upon him]

[4] SWT = Subhanahu wa Ta'ala [Glorified and Exalted Be He].

[5] A verse in the Qur'an
[6] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the
realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the
translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the
language in which it was revealed.
[7] An invisible being of fire
[8] the night journey of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) from Makkah to Jerusalem and his
ascension to the seventh heaven
[9]It is a prayer, in which one asks Allah to choose for him the better of two paths. It is
performed in tworakaas (one unit of Islamic prayer) after which a
certain duaa (supplication) is said.
[10] The steed that transported the Prophet (SAWS)