The number 786 that many Muslims from the diaspora use to signify “in the name of Allah, the ever merciful, the ever compassionate,” is derived from an ancient system of Arabic numerology. The number is significant to Degels practice as the artist uses and applies numerological reference to the study of writing Arabic script in the form of his painting practice. 

His bright abstract paintings are layered with Muslim and Arabic texts which act as blessings and sub narratives of the work. Degels practice is an extension of the study of his ancestral and community ties in Cape Town. The numbers 786 can also  commonly be found as graffiti across Muslim communities in South Africa as tribute and homage to the Islam faith.