Mutawalli is an Arabic word that refers to a trustee or administrator, specifically one who manages a religious endowment (waqf).
Wakala is a legal term in Islamic law that refers to the act of delegating authority or power to another person to act on one's behalf. The mutawalli acts as the wakil (agent) of the waqf (endowment).
Therefore, the word "mutawalli" is derived from the concept of wakala, emphasizing the role of the trustee in acting as the agent for the endowment.