Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:73

(That Allah may punish the hypocritical men and the hypocritical women, and the polytheistic men and the polytheistic women) — meaning, man carried it (that Allah may punish) the Most High, some of its individuals who did not observe it and did not meet it with obedience. This is on the basis that the lam (in li-yu‘adhhiba) is for the consequence (al-‘aqibah). For although the punishment was not the intended purpose of the carrying, since the outcome for some individuals was the result of actions tied to it, it was highlighted in the context of a purpose. That is: the consequence of man carrying it was that Allah the Most High would punish those of its individuals for their betrayal of the trust and their complete departure from obedience.

To the second group, it is indicated by His saying, the Almighty: (And Allah may accept the repentance of the believing men and the believing women) — meaning, the consequence of his carrying it was that Allah the Most High would accept the repentance of those among its individuals, i.e., accept their repentance because they did not completely cast off the yoke of obedience from their necks. He forgave them for the lapses that occurred from them, which a human being is rarely free from by the dictates of his nature, and they rectified them through repentance and turning [to Him].

The mention of the Majestic Name [Allah] first is for the purpose of instilling awe of the matter and cultivating reverence. The use of the noun in place of the pronoun [in the second instance] is to manifest greater concern for the affair of the believers, fulfilling the requirements of both the stations of warning and glad tidings. This is what some eminent scholars have said in interpreting the verse.

Beyond that, there are other views: It is said that the Trust is obedience, because it is necessary of existence just as the Trust is necessary of performance. The speech is a confirmation of the noble promise indicated by His saying, the Almighty: (And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has attained a great attainment), by making the glorification of the status of obedience a means to that, for whoever fulfills the rights of such a great affair and observes it is worthy of attaining the good of both abodes. This was critiqued by the argument that making the Trust—which is of His affair, the Almighty—synonymous with obedience—which is from the acts of the legally responsible individuals, subordinate to the command—is far from the interpretation. Furthermore, if the speech is carried as a confirmation in the manner proposed, it is rejected by the description of man as unjust and ignorant initially, and the explanation of the carrying by the punishment of one group and the repentance of another subsequently.

It may be said: the intent of that proponent is that the Trust is obedience from the aspect of His command, the Almighty, for it, and that the saying of the Almighty: (Indeed, he was), etc., is in the sense that he was like that if he did not observe its right—so reflect.

Ibn Jarir and others reported from Ibn Abbas that the Trust is the obligatory duties (al-fara'id). A similar report is narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr. This is different from what was mentioned first, based on the fact that religious obligations are intended in the sense of the masdar (the act of obligation) rather than the passive participle (ism al-maf'ul).

It is also said: It is the Prayer (as-salah). It is narrated from Ali, may Allah honor his face, that when the time for prayer entered, his noble face would turn yellow and his complexion would change. When asked about this, he said: "The time for a trust has entered, which Allah the Most High offered to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, and they refused to bear it and were afraid of it, but I have borne it despite my weakness. I do not know how I will perform it."

Al-Safiri recounted that it is the ritual bath from major impurity (ghusl al-janabah). It is also said: the prayer, fasting, and ghusl. Abd al-Razzaq and Abd ibn Humayd reported from Zayd ibn Aslam that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "The Trust is three: the prayer, the fasting, and the ghusl from major impurity." In a narration from Al-Suddi and Al-Dahhak, it is the well-known trusts of people and the fulfillment of covenants. It is also said: It is that you do not deceive a believer or a protected subject (mu‘ahid) in anything, little or much. Others said: It is the Word of Tawhid, because it is the greatest pivot for religious obligations. Still others said: It is the limbs and the powers. Ibn Abi al-Dunya, in Al-Wara', and Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi reported from Abdullah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both, that he said: "The first thing Allah the Most High created of man was his private part, then He said: 'This is My trust with you, so do not place it except in its rightful place.' Thus, the private part is a trust, the hearing is a trust, and the sight is a trust."

It is not hidden that interpreting the Trust in the verse as the limbs is something that should not be given any attention; the report mentioned, even if authentic, does not indicate it. Similar, and indeed far inferior to it, is the claim that it refers to the letters of the alphabet; only schoolboys would say such a thing.

The closest of the aforementioned views to acceptance is that it is the obligatory duties—i.e., of action and abstention. Specifying some of them in an authentic report does not indicate that it is the Trust in the verse and nothing else; many general concepts have some of their individuals specified for a subtle point.

Abu Hayyan said: The apparent meaning is that it is everything one is entrusted with, regarding command and prohibition, and matters of religion and worldly life. This meaning encompasses everything previously mentioned.

There are other opinions regarding it that will come, if Allah the Most High wills. The scholars who held that it is the obligatory duties differed in verifying what follows: Some said the speech is based on the omission of a genitive, the estimation being: "Indeed, We offered the Trust to the inhabitants of the heavens," etc. This is recounted from Al-Jubba'i, and it is of no weight. Others said the speech is upon its apparent meaning, as are the offering and the refusal; this is because He, the Almighty, created for the heavens, the earth, and the mountains understanding and discrimination, so they were given a choice in carrying it and they refused. This is narrated from Ibn Abbas.

Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Ibn al-Anbari reported from Ibn Jurayj that he said: "It has reached me that when Allah the Most High created the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, He said: 'I am imposing an obligation, and I am creating a Paradise and a Hell, and a reward for those who obey Me and a punishment for those who disobey Me.' The heavens said: 'You created me and made me subservient, with the sun, the moon, the stars, the clouds, and the wind; I am subservient according to how You created me. I will not bear an obligation, nor do I desire a reward or a punishment.' The earth and the mountains said something similar."

From what is mentioned, it is known that the refusal was not disobedience, because there was no obligation there, but rather a choice. As for them considering themselves unworthy to be a place for the Trust, that does not negate the charge of disobedience for the refusal, had there been an obligation to carry it.

It is also said: There is no omission, and the speech is of the nature of an allegory (tamthil), as you heard earlier.

Many held that the meaning of "carrying it" is the commitment to perform it, and by "man" is meant Adam, peace be upon him. There is disagreement as to whether his carrying it was after it was offered to him or without it. Some said it was after the offering; Ibn Jarir, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abi Hatim reported that Allah the Most High offered the Trust to the lowest heaven, and it refused, then the next, and it refused, until He finished them. Then the earths, then the mountains, then He offered it to Adam, peace be upon him, and he said: "Yes, between my ears and my shoulder," etc.

Others said: It was without it. Ibn al-Jawzi said: "When Allah the Almighty created Adam, peace be upon him, and breathed the soul into him, the Trust was represented to him as a rock. Then He said to the heavens: 'Carry this,' and they refused, saying: 'My Lord, I have no strength for it.' He said to the earth: 'Carry it,' and it said: 'I have no strength for it.' He said to the mountains: 'Carry it,' and they said: 'I have no strength for it.' So Adam, peace be upon him, came forward, moved it with his hand, and said: 'If I wished, I would carry it.' He carried it until it reached his waist, then placed it on his shoulder. When he inclined to set it down, he was called from the side of Majesty: 'O Adam, stay where you are, do not set it down. This trust has remained on your neck and the necks of your children until the Day of Resurrection. For you is a reward in carrying it and a punishment in abandoning it.'"

This is apparent that the carrying is literal, and that the offering to the heavens, earth, and mountains was within the hearing of Adam, peace be upon him. To this, Ibn al-Anbari went. In some traditions, there is evidence that the offering to them was before his creation.

Ibn Abi Hatim reported from Mujahid that he said: "When Allah the Most High created the heavens and the earth, He offered them the Trust, and they did not accept it. When He created Adam, peace be upon him, He offered it to him and he said: 'O Lord, what is it?' He said, the Almighty: 'It is that if you do good, I will reward you, and if you do evil, I will punish you.' He said: 'Then I have borne it, O Lord.' The time between his bearing it and his emergence was only as much as between the Dhuhr and Asr prayers."

You would likely prefer from these opinions that the offering—on the assumption that it was after the granting of understanding and discrimination—was within the hearing of Adam, peace be upon him, and that after he heard the refusal, zeal moved him to carry it. This might lead you to choose the view that he carried the Trust without it being offered to him, as is apparent in the verse, and by this, his description is confirmed. However, I do not think you would agree with the authenticity of the tradition of the Trust being represented as a rock, even if you agree with the possibility of meanings being represented in physical forms as mentioned in the hadith of "slaughtering death" and others.

I do not lean toward the view that the meaning of "man" is Adam, peace be upon him, even if he is the first of the individuals of the species and the origin of its chain, because of the saying: (Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant). It is extremely far-fetched to describe the chosen one of Allah the Almighty, by the text (Indeed, Allah chose Adam), with an excess of injustice and ignorance. To say the meaning is "unjust and ignorant in the estimation of the angels, peace be upon them," is a weak statement. Carrying it to mean "he was unjust to his own soul, as he carried it despite his weakness, which the strong bodies refused to carry," and "ignorant of how much he had entered into, or of the consequence of what he had borne," does not remove the distance [of the interpretation].

I do not find it appropriate that the meaning is "it was his nature, if left to himself, to be that," as it is said: "Injustice is from the characteristics of souls; if you find one who is chaste, it is for a cause." This is only possible if the intent is the generic (the species) and the speech is used in a "usage" (istikhdam) manner, similar to how they speak of "I have a dirham and its half"—which is far-fetched both in wording and meaning.

It is said: The intent of the Trust is absolute submission, encompassing both the natural and the volitional. By offering it to them, it is the solicitation of it, which includes demanding the act from the one who has choice and willing its occurrence from others. By "carrying it" is the betrayal of it and the refusal to perform it. From this is their saying, "the bearer of a trust (hamil al-amanah)," for one who does not perform it, thus discharging his liability. They recited: "If you do not cease performing a trust, and carry another, the deposits will drive you out." Thus, the refusal is the refraining from betrayal and the bringing forth of what is intended. The meaning is that these celestial bodies, with their greatness and power, refused to betray our trust and brought forth what we commanded them to do, because of His saying: (We have come, willingly). Man betrayed it, as he did not bring forth what we commanded him to do; (Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant). It is not hidden that this is far-fetched, and we have not seen anything in the transmitted reports to support it.

Yes, the common people say: "The earth does not betray a trust." Even so, the custom in our lands is that if they want to bury a deceased person in a place and it is not easy for them to place him in the grave, they lay him down and say, addressing the earth: "This is a trust with you for such and such months or such and such years," then they throw dirt on him and depart. When they exhume the grave before the time has elapsed, they find him as he was placed, nothing changed, so they take him out and bury him where they intended. If he remains until the specified time passes, they find him changed. This is a matter whose transmission to us is reported as mutawatir (consecutively narrated), and it is something the intellect considers unlikely.

Towards this, Abu Ishaq al-Zajjaj tended, although he said: "The offering of the Trust is the placing of the evidences of Oneness in the created things." Abu Hayyan related it from him and mentioned the verse cited earlier, but he critiqued it by saying that the "carrying" in it is not explicitly about betrayal.

It is also said: The intent of the Trust is the intellect or the obligation (taklif). By offering it to them is the consideration of it in relation to their preparedness, and their refusal is the natural refusal, which is the lack of fitness and preparedness for it. By man's carrying it is his capability and preparedness for it, and his being (unjust and ignorant) because of his being dominated by the "irascible" power (al-quwwah al-ghadabiyyah) which invites injustice, and the "appetitive" power (al-shahwaniyyah) which invites ignorance of the consequences of matters.

It is said: Consequently, His saying, the Almighty: (Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant), harmonizes with what precedes it, on the basis that it is the cause of it, in view of the intellect being placed upon him, meaning it was deposited within him for the sake of reforming the two powers that need the authority of the intellect to rule over them. It is as if it were said: "We entrusted him with that because of the powers within him that need its dominance and control." Likewise, if the intention is taklif, the main purpose of it is to moderate those powers and break their vehemence. From this, it is said that this is closest to the truth.

It is also said: The Trust is the manifestation of Him, the Almighty, through His Beautiful Names and His Supreme Attributes, and the offering to them, their refusal, and man's carrying it is as previously mentioned. His saying: (Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant) is a justification for the carrying, pointing to the strength of his preparedness. His saying: (That Allah may punish) is a justification for the offering, in the sense that "We offered that so that Our Majestic and Beautiful manifestations might appear."

This is indicated by the saying of the scholar Al-Tibi, upon him be mercy: "Allah the Most High created the creation so that they would be manifestations of His Beautiful Names and Supreme Attributes. The bearer of the meaning of Pride and Greatness is the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, in terms of their inability to bear the rest of the attributes due to their lack of readiness to accept them; therefore, they refused to bear it and were afraid of it. Man carried it due to the strength of his readiness and power. He was singled out for this among all creatures to accept the manifestation of the [divine] Subjugation, Repentance, and Forgiveness, and he shared with them in accepting the manifestation of Mercy, of which he has the largest share due to the strength of his readiness and power." This is a Sufi perspective, as is not hidden.

I choose the view that the Trust is everything one is entrusted with and required to preserve and observe. It has many individuals, differing in the greatness of their standing. That He offered it to those celestial bodies was by way of giving them a choice in carrying it, not compulsion, and they were addressed in that and understood the address. Allah the Almighty is capable of creating in every atom of the atoms of existence life and knowledge, just as He created them in those endowed with intellect. Indeed, the philosophers went to the extent of saying there are souls and volitional movement for the celestial spheres; some even said something similar regarding the stars, affirming volitional movement and denying external forces there.

The intent of "man" is the species, and His saying: (Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant) is in the position of justifying the carrying. Describing the species with the two intensive forms is because of the multitude of individuals characterized by injustice and ignorance within it, even if they are not in it in an intensive way. Rather, no individual is free from being characterized by some injustice and some ignorance. It is not necessary in describing a species with an intensive form that such a quality must be realized in all or some individuals in an intensive manner. Yes, if that is realized, it is an additional virtue, as in our case, for most human individuals are at the extreme of injustice and the end of ignorance. Perhaps the meaning of zulum (unjust) and jahul (ignorant) is that injustice and ignorance are his nature. His saying: (That Allah may punish), etc., is related to "We offered," as a justification for it. In the speech, there is a transposition (iltifat) which is not hidden.

Punishment is mentioned first because it is more consistent with the two qualities of injustice and ignorance. It is said: Because a rule of the Trust is that he who betrays it is liable, and it is not a rule of it that he who preserves it is rewarded. The contrast of punishment with repentance, rather than reward or mercy, is to indicate that among the believing men and women there are those from whom acts occur for which they could be punished, yet they are not punished. This includes an indication that they are not punished for every injustice and ignorance. In this is a joy for the believers and sorrow for their opponents. Also, it is more consistent with the literal sense of His saying, the Almighty: (Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant). It is said: Reward was not considered because it was known from His saying, the Almighty: (And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has attained a great attainment), so He expressed it as mentioned to alert [us] that it is by pure grace, and that is as you see. It is also said that it is because the concluding statement is sufficient to express their mercy and reward.

Al-Hasan read—as the author of Al-Lawami' mentioned—wa yatubu (and He accepts repentance) in the nominative as an initiation. (And Allah has been Forgiving, Merciful) (37)—meaning, excessive in forgiveness and mercy, as He accepted the repentance of the believing men and women and forgave them their lapses, and rewarded them with the great attainment for their acts of obedience. We ask Allah the Most High to accept our repentance, forgive us, and reward us with the great attainment; He, the Majestic in His Majesty and the Universal in His Generosity, is Forgiving, Merciful.

(From the section of spiritual allusions in the verses of this noble Surah): (O Prophet, fear Allah), etc., there is an indication of the greatness of the status of piety, and likewise the status of every command and prohibition related to him, upon him be blessings and peace. There is also an indication that one should not love the enemies of Allah the Almighty, as He forbade obeying them, and they are like those who are inseparable. (Allah has not made for any man two hearts in his breast), for its position in the body is that of the ruler in a kingdom, and wisdom dictates the unity of the ruler. In the tradition: "If two caliphs are pledged allegiance, kill one of them."

It is said: That is to indicate his unity in the human body—which is the microcosm encompassing the macrocosm—of the unity of Allah the Almighty in existence. It should be known that the heart, in their view, as Al-Sadr al-Qunawi said, has two usages: The first is its application to the pine-shaped flesh known to the elite and the common. The second is its application to the reality that combines the divine attributes and affairs with the created spiritual and natural characteristics. It arises from the social structure existing between the attributes and the divine and created realities, and what these two origins encompass of moral traits and necessary attributes, and what is generated from between them after discipline and purification. The appearance of that is like the appearance of blackness between gallnut, vitriol, and water. This is the heart about which the Truth informed us on the tongue of His Prophet, upon him be peace, by His saying, the Almighty: "Neither My earth nor My heaven encompassed Me, but the heart of My believing, pious, pure, and humble servant encompassed Me." It is the place of the gaze of the Truth, the platform of His manifestation, the landing place of His command, and the place of His descent. The pine-shaped flesh is too lowly in its form to be the place of His secret, the Majestic and Exalted, let alone to encompass Him, the Almighty, and be the focus of His highest gaze and level. I claim that naming that pine-shaped form "the heart" is by way of metaphor, in view of naming the attribute and the bearer by the name of the described and the carried.

(Nor has He made your wives whom you declare to be like your mothers' backs your mothers, nor has He made your adopted sons your sons)—in this is that realities do not transform, and that there are properties in blood kinship that do not exist in causal kinship. So where are wives from mothers, and adopted sons from sons? Mothers are roots, and wives are not; sons are branches, and adopted sons are not. From here it is said: "The child is the secret of his father." Shams al-Fanari mentioned this in Misbah al-Uns as a hadith with certainty without attribution or chain, and this is not authentic according to the scholars of hadith. It is an indication of the attributes, morals, and perfections that the child acquires by transmission from his father, not by way of the heart's focus toward the presence of the Divine Unseen and the world of meanings. For in that regard, the child may acquire attributes and morals contrary to the state of his father. From this appears the secret of (He brings the living out of the dead).

(But if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brothers in religion and your patrons)—in this is an indication that religion has a kind of fatherhood, and for this reason, inheritance may occur through it.

The Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves because he, upon him be blessings and peace, loves them more than they love themselves, and leads them on the path that brings them to eternal life.

And [mention] when We took from the prophets their covenant—i.e., in pre-eternity, when they were fixed essences (a'yan thabitah), or on the Day of the Covenant when they attained a kind of determination—that He might question the truthful about their truthfulness, a questioning of honor, not of reproach. Truthfulness, as they said, is that there be no trace of impurity in your states, no defect in your deeds, no doubt in your belief. Among its signs is the presence of sincerity without observing the created, the purification of states without the intrusion of vanity, the safety of speech from duplicity, the distancing from deception among people, and the persistence in disclaiming power and strength, or rather, emerging from metaphorical existence in longing for the True Existence.

O you who have believed, remember the favor of Allah upon you when armies came to you, etc.—some applied what is contained in the verses of the story of the Confederates (Al-Ahzab) to what is in the souls, and its state is not hidden. Among the strange things I have seen is that Sheikh Muhyiddin, may Allah sanctify his secret, divided the saints into categories and made among them a group called the "Yathribites." He said: They are a group of saints who have no fixed station, unlike the rest of the saints. He made the saying of the hypocrites: (O people of Yathrib, there is no place for you) an allusion to that. How many strange sayings there are from this Sheikh, may Allah the Most High forgive him!

There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often, because he, upon him be blessings and peace, is the most perfect of creation absolutely, and the person most worthy of the radiation of the lights of his morals, upon those who hope in Allah the Most High and the Last Day and remember Him, the Almighty, often, for the polishing of their hearts and the strength of their preparedness for the radiation of lights and the appearance of effects.

Of the believers are men—i.e., perfect men. The saying of some of them: "i.e., they exercise power over the existing things as males do over females," is a repulsive speech from which the hearts of those who follow the righteous predecessors shrink, like much of the speech of the Sufis.

O Prophet, say to your wives, if you should desire the worldly life and its adornment, then come, I will provide for you and give you a gracious release, etc.—in this is an indication that the love of the world and its adornment is a cause for separation from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and distance from his noble presence, and that love for him is a cause for a great reward.

O wives of the Prophet, whoever of you should commit—in this is an indication of the variation in the ugliness of sins and the goodness of acts of obedience in view of the persons. Similar to that is their variation in view of places and times.

It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair—an indication of the station of submission, and that it is what is befitting for the believers. This is a continuous ruling for the nation until the Day of Resurrection, so it is not proper for anyone to whom anything has reached from Allah the Almighty and His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to choose for himself otherwise, for that indicates an accusation against Allah the Almighty and His Messenger, upon him be peace.

Perhaps the allusion in the verses thereafter is apparent to anyone who has the slightest attention. However, they have prolonged the speech regarding the Trust mentioned in His saying: (Indeed, We offered the Trust), so let us mention some of that. We say: Sheikh Muhyiddin, may Allah sanctify his secret, said in Bulghat al-Ghawwas: "The Trust that was offered to the heavens and the earth, and they refused to carry it, is the capacity for the knowledge of Allah the Most High. There was no acceptance in the heavens and the earth for what man accepted through this formal composition, for he is the fruit of the world. He sees himself in the world and sees his Lord, the Almighty, through the world, which is himself in terms of it being the whole world. Therefore, he had the capacity for what the world could not encompass. For this reason, He, the Almighty, singled him out for capacity, as He informed, the Majestic, that His heavens and earth did not encompass Him, but the heart of the believing man from the human species encompassed Him." End quote.

It is as if he meant by his encompassing the Truth, the Almighty, his being a comprehensive manifestation of the Names and Attributes in a way that does not negate the transcendence of the Truth, the Majestic and Exalted. This is close to what we mentioned in the interpretation and said it is a Sufi perspective, as is not hidden.

Another said: It is an expression of the divine emanation without an intermediary, and its carrying is specific to man because its ratio to the creation is like the ratio of the heart to the person. The world is a person, and its heart is man. Just as the heart is the carrier of the soul without an intermediary, and it spreads from it by way of veins and arteries and the like to the rest of the body, likewise man is the carrier of the divine emanation without an intermediary, and it spreads from him to the outer and inner world by way of his outer and inner being of body and soul deeds. The outer and inner world are inhabited by the outer and inner man. This is the secret of the caliphate. The meaning of his being "unjust" is that he is unjust to himself, as he prepared to carry a great affair, and his being "ignorant" is that he is ignorant of it, as he did not know its reality and did not grasp of it except the animal form characterized by bestial attributes of eating, drinking, and marriage. These two qualities, in regard to those who carry the Trust and perform its right—in terms of them being the cause for carrying the Trust—are attributes of praise, and in regard to the betrayers, they are attributes of condemnation. A thing may be a condemnation in regard to one person and praise in regard to another. Allah the Most High is the Guide to the straight path, and from Him is the seeking of help in understanding His Aziz and Jalil speech.