Quranic root
وكل
w · k · l
The root centers on placing an affair in another's charge or relying on another to handle it.
This orientation extends from leaving someone to his own judgment, to appointing a deputy or trustee, relying upon another, and describing the resulting agent. Classical usage also includes dependent weakness, mutual buck-passing, and an animal that follows another's pace.
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- 4
- Quran-attested forms
- 5
- Quran senses
- 70
- Quran occurrences
Forms in the Quran
The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.
وَكَّلَ
wakkala
- Part of speech
- Verb · Form II
- Form
- II
- Quran occurrences
- 2 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
To appoint or entrust someone with the management or disposal of an affair; in the passive, to be assigned or put in charge.
The Quranic group includes both active and passive perfect forms. The construction concerns assigning an agent responsibility for a person, matter, or affair.
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Selected Quran examples
Quran 6:89word 12
“We have entrusted”
Quran 32:11word 6
“has been put in charge”
تَوَكَّلَ
tawakkala
- Part of speech
- Verb · Form V
- Form
- V
- Quran occurrences
- 40 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
To rely upon another, place one's trust in another, or entrust oneself to another.
The Quranic usage is commonly construed with عَلَى or عَلَيْهِ, and may also occur without an expressed object. It describes reliance or confident dependence rather than the separate Classical construction of undertaking administrative responsibility.
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Selected Quran examples
Quran 65:3word 7
“puts his trust”
Quran 11:123word 10
“and put your trust”
Quran 12:67word 26
“let put (their) trust”
مُتَوَكِّلٌ
mutawakkilun
- Part of speech
- Active participle
- Quran occurrences
- 4 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
One who relies upon another or places trust in another.
The supplied Quran occurrences are plural active-participle forms describing people characterized by reliance and trust, especially reliance upon God in their contexts.
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Selected Quran examples
Quran 3:159word 30
“the ones who put trust (in Him)”
Quran 39:38word 36
“those who trust”
وَكِيلٌ
wakīlun
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 24 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
An entrusted agent, trustee, guardian, or disposer of an affair; one appointed to manage, protect, or act on behalf of another.
The Quranic usage can describe responsibility over persons or affairs and yields translations such as guardian, trustee, defender, advocate, or disposer of affairs.
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Selected Quran examples
Quran 17:2word 12
“(as) a Disposer of affairs”
Quran 4:81word 24
“(as) a Trustee”
A witness.
This is a distinct Quran-attested lexical use, separate from the sense of an appointed agent or guardian.
- Lane · entry 30660
Selected Quran examples
Quran 28:28word 15
“(is) a Witness”
Occurrences in the Quran
Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.
- 3:122فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِlet put (their) trust
- 3:159فَتَوَكَّلْthen put trust
- 3:159ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلِينَthe ones who put trust (in Him)
- 3:160فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِlet put (their) trust
- 3:173ٱلْوَكِيلُ[the] Disposer of affairs
Broader Classical Arabic meanings
Recorded for this root in the Classical lexicons beyond its Quran usage. These are secondary to the Quran senses above.
Show 8 Classical meanings
وَكَلَ
To leave someone to his own judgment or to himself; to refrain from managing or assisting him.
Constructed with إِلَى, including expressions meaning to leave someone to his opinion, judgment, religion, or own resources.
- Lane · entry 30652
تَوَكَّلَ
To undertake responsibility for managing an affair, become responsible for it, or administer another's property.
This Classical construction is distinct from Quranic reliance: it is attested with بِ, لِ, or in an affair, and denotes assuming administrative responsibility.
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وَاكَلَ
To rely mutually upon one another, each leaving the matter to the other.
The construction describes mutual dependence that may result in neglect of the affair.
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تَوَاكَلَ
To desert or abandon someone or something; of a group, to leave matters to one another through mutual reliance.
The group construction describes reciprocal reliance in which each party leaves the affair to the other.
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وَكَلٌ
A weak or impotent person who commits his affair to another.
وُكَلَةٌ and تُكَلَةٌ are cited as variant forms for this dependent type.
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وَكَالٌ
Of a riding animal, the condition of lagging behind and moving only with another animal's movement.
This is a specialized Classical usage applied to an animal that follows another's pace rather than proceeding independently; the term is also reported with variant vocalization.
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وَكِيلٌ
A guarantor or surety.
This is a narrower Classical interpretation related to كَفِيل; the lexical evidence treats every guarantor as a wakil but not every wakil as a guarantor.
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وَكَالَةٌ
A factory or commercial agency establishment.
The institutional sense is exemplified in دَارُ الوَكَالَةِ, with وَكَائِلُ given as its plural.
- Lane · entry 30661
Cautions
Points that affect how this root should be read.
The Form II Quran group combines active and passive perfect occurrences, so the public headword is normalized to the active dictionary citation form وَكَّلَ.