Tawakkul聽(a.), verbal noun or聽masdar聽of Form V of聽wakala聽鈥渢o entrust [to someone], have confidence [in someone]鈥, a concept in Islamic religious terminology, and especially that of聽Sufism, with the sense of dependence upon God.
Tor Andrae pointed out that the verb聽tawakkala聽meant 鈥渢o trust someone in the same way as I would trust my聽飞补办颈濒鈥, i.e., the person whom I have chosen to be my procurator or聽homme d鈥檃ffaires, to look after my business and to govern and dispose on my behalf. Here he was drawing largely on聽al-Ghazali鈥檚 etymological analysis of聽迟补飞补办办耻濒听in his聽滨丑测补鈥, Cairo 1352 AH / 1933 CE, iv, 223, where he states that it is derived from聽wakala, power of attorney or deputyship, 鈥渉ence one says that one entrusts one鈥檚 affairs (wakala) to someone, i.e., one relies on him. The one to whom one consigns one鈥檚 affairs is called an agent or trustee (wakil). With respect to the one in whom one trusts, one says that one abandons oneself to one鈥檚 agent. Thus one entrusts one鈥檚 soul to him and depends firmly on him… Hence聽tawakkul聽expresses the heart鈥檚 confidence in the One Trustee (al-wakil al-wahid)鈥.
Author
Dr. Leonard Lewisohn
A respected聽author, translator and lecturer in the area of Islamic studies and a specialist in Persian language and Sufi literature, the late Dr Lewisohn (1953 – 2018) was a Research Associate at the London Middle East Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and Associate Member of the Centre for Iranian Studies also at SOAS聽. Dr Lewisohn’s works include聽Beyond Faith and Fidelity: the Sufi Poetry and Teachings of Mahmud Shabistari聽(London, 1993), a critical edition of聽Divan-i Muhammad Shirin