Vakel or Vakil was the term used for the deputies and de facto prime ministers of the Mughal Emperor in Mughal administration. He was considered the most powerful person after Emperor in the Mughal Empire.[1] Vakil was one of the highest positions in the hierarchy of Safavid Iran, denoting the viceroy in the administrative and some religious affairs of the realm.[2]: 17
While in the Ottoman Empire, the viziers were considered "absolute delegates" (vekil-i mutlak) of the Ottoman Sultan.
Etymology
Vakel or Vakil was the Arabic term used in the meaning of "representative" or "proxy".
Wakil
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)
In Islamic law, a wakīl (وكيل), in older literature vakeel, is a deputy, delegate or agent who acts on behalf of a principal. It can refer to an attorney, a diplomat or the custodian of a mosque or religious order.[3]
Wakīl is also one of the names of God in Islam, meaning "dependable", and is used as a personal name, a short form of Abdul Wakil, meaning "servant of the dependable".