This is a divine command to render the rights to their rightful owners. What is the trust? It is simply a thing committed to one’s care, but the greatest trust is the believing in Allah (swt) because Allah (swt) says:
إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنسَانُ ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولً
(Indeed, we offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant.) (Al-Ahzaab: 72)
The trust which the man undertook to bear it is the trust of choosing between faith or disbelief, so we say to all people that religion is a religion of choice, and it is a religion of trust, the Prophet (saws) said:
“He who is not trustworthy has no faith”[1]
Hence, the first due trust is the trust of faith which Allah (swt) talked about that the heavens and the earth and the mountains feared of bearing it, whereas the man undertook to bear it, so he has the right of choosing the belief or disbelief:
فَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ
(…so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve…”) (Al-Kahf: 29)
Nevertheless, the trust which is the right to be given to others, there is not any proof of it except the conscience, religion and morals. The Prophet (saws) was called Muhammad the honest since he was well known of his honesty, even that the polytheists used to put their trusts with him. Accordingly, religion means morals, the Prophet (saws) said:
“The dearest and the closest of you to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who are the best in behavior”[2]
Religion means morals, and rendering back the trusts is one of the basics that Islam and the Holy Quran concentrated on. Indeed, the Muslim should be honest with his Lord in faith, honest with his homeland so he does not destroy it, honest with people so he renders the trusts to them.
(… إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا …) (…to whom they are due …): Does not specify whether Muslims or not. This is a call to do good for all the people, it is not restricted to Muslims.
(… وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ …) (…and when you judge between people.): Does not say (judge between Muslims), rather all the people.
(… أَن تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ …) (…to judge with justice …): Justice requires the existence of litigation, and requires transgressions of the right between one person and another. However, religion commands you to fulfill the rights for all people regardless of their creed and affiliation, and it commands you to judge with justice when there is a dispute, because the stability of any society is based only on justice, the simplest example of that in a football match, that millions of people watch, if the referee ignores giving any penalty kick or offside to the player, all people stand and do not sit down, because he did not take a just decision, this is a case in just a game, so how is the situation in serious matters. Allah (swt) created people love justice and equality by instinct, and is not based on religious, sectarian, ethnic or regional basis, but on the basis of humanity. Allah (swt) addresses the Prophet (saws) saying:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
(And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.) (Al-Anbiyaa: 107)
Actually, it is not possible for a religion that commands of fulfillment of trusts and the establishment of justice among all people to have people or groups who say that this religion commands of killing, slaughter, and destruction of churches, abuse of other religions, and forcing people to pray by beatings. This contradicts the basic sacred verses in the Book of Allah (swt).
The reason of revelation of this verse:
There is a reason for the revelation of the verse, but there is a general meaning and the religious ruling. When the Prophet entered Mecca on the Day of the victory, they brought him the keys of the Ka’ba. Previously, the keys, providing water to pilgrims and other were taken over by certain tribes. The children of Talha inherited the key of the Ka’ba, and Uthman Ibn Talha, at that time, was the owner of the key and he was a polytheist. When the Prophet (saws) entered Mecca on the Day of victory, he did not force anyone to enter Islam, and when he opened the door of the Ka’ba and entered it, this verse was revealed. When he went out, he gave the key to Uthman bin Talha and said:
“Take it, O Children of Talha, eternally up to the Day of Resurrection, and it will not be taken from you unless by an unjust, oppressive tyrant.”[3]
There are a lot of stories of justice in the biography of the Prophet (saws) and the lives of the honorable companions. One of these stories was between a Jew and Ali bin Abi Talib (May Allah honour his face), where the Jew complained about Ali during the era of Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) for a shield. Umar asked him: Did you get angry, Ali, because I summoned you to the court? Ali said: No, by Allah, but because you glorified me and called me Abul Hasan whereas called him by just his name.
The Unparalleled Justice of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab is very known; once a time, a man from the Copts, who was in Egypt when it was ruled by Amr Ibn al-‘as (May Allah be pleased with him), he raced with the son of Amr ibn al-‘as and defeated him, so he began to beat the man with a whip saying: “I am the Son of Nobles!”. The man from the Copts was very sad and hurt, so he came to Umar Ibn Al-Khattab in al-Madinah complaining what the son of ‘Amr has done to him (had he doubted, even a little, that Umar Ibn Al-Khattab would not judge fairly, he would not have gone to him from Egypt to complain about the ruler) So Umar wrote to `Amr commanding him to appear before him with his son. So they appeared before him, Umar asked the man to take the whip saying to him, “Beat the Son of Nobles!” Then the Egyptian began to beat the son of `Amr with the whip as he did to him until he stopped. Then Omar said to the Egyptian, “Now beat the whip upon `Amr’s bald head!” He replied, “O Commander of the Faithful! For it was his son who beat me, and I have evened the score with him.”. Umar answered: “No, beat the whip upon `Amr’s bald head, because his son beat you because of the power of his father”.
(… إِنَّ اللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُم بِهِ …) (…Excellent is that which Allah instructs you …): Verily, how excellent is the teaching which Allah (swt) gives us, meaning, His commands to return the trusts to their owners, to judge between people with justice regardless their religion and sects. This is the call of Islam.
( إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا … ) (…, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing): Allah (swt) is Hearing before there is what to be heard, and He is the Seeing before there is anything to be seen. He hears your words and sees your actions.
This decisive and great verse was applied by the first Muslims, the companions of the Messenger (saws), and they were the role models and ideals for every believer, such as our master Ali and Omar (may Allah be pleased with them). When we read the Qur’an and read about the Sunnah of our Prophet (saws) and the actions of his honorable companions, we see how they interpreted it with their actions and deeds and adhered to the commands of their Lord. The result was that pioneering Islamic civilization that spread the banner of security, peace and science across the world that was filled with injustice and ignorance.
[1] Al-Muajam Al-Kabeer of Al-Tabarani, Hadith No. 7988.
[2] Musanaf Ibn Abi Shayba, Book of good behavior, Hadith No. 25320.
[3] Al-Maqased Al-Hasanah of Sakhawi: vol.1, Page.320, Hadith No. 431.