Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:58

Then, He, Glorified and Exalted is He, guided the believers in the most eloquent manner toward some of the essential foundations of righteous deeds, saying—and He is the Best of Speakers: "Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due."

Ibn Marduyah recorded, via the path of al-Kalbi from Abu Salih from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), that when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) conquered Mecca, he summoned Uthman ibn Abi Talha. When he came to him, he said: "Show me the key." He brought it to him, but when he stretched out his hand to take it, al-Abbas stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, grant it to me along with the Siqayah (the office of providing water to pilgrims)." Uthman drew back his hand. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "Show me the key, O Uthman." He reached out his hand to give it, but al-Abbas repeated his previous request, and Uthman drew back his hand again. Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "O Uthman, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day, then give me the key." He replied: "Here it is, by the trust of Allah the Exalted." He rose and opened the Kaaba, and found inside it a statue of Abraham (peace be upon him) with divining arrows (used for gambling/augury). The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "May Allah fight the polytheists! What do they have to do with this? What is the concern of Abraham (peace be upon him) with divining arrows?" He removed them. He also brought out the Station of Abraham (peace be upon him), which was inside the Kaaba, then said: "O people, this is the Qibla." He then went out and circled the House. Afterward, Gabriel (peace be upon him) descended upon him—as it was related to us—with the command to return the key. He summoned Uthman ibn Abi Talha and gave him the key, then recited: "Indeed, Allah commands you..." to the end of the verse.

In a narration by al-Tabarani, when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) gave him the key, he said: "Take it, O sons of Talha, eternally and perpetually; none shall take it from you except a tyrant." This refers to the Sidanah (guardianship) of the Kaaba. In the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, it is mentioned that Uthman later passed the key to his brother, Shaybah ibn Abi Talha, and it has remained in the hands of his descendants to this day. Al-Tha'labi, al-Baghawi, and al-Wahidi stated that Uthman refused to give the key to the Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him), saying: "Had I known that he was the Messenger of Allah, I would not have refused him." So Ali (may Allah’s countenance be honored) twisted his hand and took it from him. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) entered the Kaaba and prayed two rak'ahs. When he came out, al-Abbas asked him to combine the Sidanah and the Siqayah for him, so this verse was revealed. The Prophet then ordered Ali (may Allah’s countenance be honored) to return it and apologize to him, which became a cause for his [Uthman's] conversion to Islam and the revelation that the guardianship would remain with his descendants forever. The account we mentioned first is more worthy of consideration.

First, because al-Ashmuni said: It is well-known among historians that Uthman ibn Talha converted to Islam before that, during the Hudaybiyyah truce, alongside Khalid ibn al-Walid and Amr ibn al-Aas, as mentioned by Ibn Ishaq and others; Ibn Abd al-Barr in al-Isti'ab, al-Nawawi in his Tahdhib, al-Dhahabi, and others have confirmed this. Second, because the other account contradicts what Ibn Kathir mentioned, which they have established as the sounder view. Third, because under that account, the key would not be considered a "trust" (amanah), since Ali (may Allah’s countenance be honored) took it by force, and such an act is ghasb (usurpation), not a trust. The claim that it is termed a trust because Allah did not intend for it to be removed from him, or to indicate that a usurper must act like a trustee in his intention to return it, or that Ali (may Allah’s countenance be honored), by taking it, intended goodness and was acting under the Prophet's command—making him akin to a trustee who bears no sin—is not devoid of far-fetchedness.

Regardless, the address encompasses everyone, just as "trusts" (al-amanat)—the plural of amanah—is a verbal noun used to denote the object. Indeed, it refers to rights related to their liabilities, whether they are rights of Allah or rights of people, whether they are practical, verbal, or related to belief. The generality of the ruling does not negate the specificity of the occasion of its revelation. It has been narrated that the generality applies, according to Ibn Abbas, Ubayy, Ibn Mas'ud, al-Bara' ibn Azib, Abu Ja'far, and Abu Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them all). The majority hold this view. Zayd ibn Aslam, and those favored by al-Jubba'i and others, held that this is an address to the authorities to uphold the care of the subjects and compel them to follow the requirements of the religion and the Sharia; they count the appointing of competent people to positions of authority as part of this, and they include the subsequent address under this as well.

Opening the discourse with Inna (Indeed), which signifies confirmation, declaring the Majestic Name [Allah], and presenting the command in the form of a declarative statement, carries a level of gravity, emphasis on the obligation of compliance, and indication of importance that cannot be exceeded. For this reason, it is related in the Hadith of Thawban that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "There is no faith for the one who has no trust."

Al-Bayhaqi recorded in al-Shu'ab from Ibn Umar that the Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "Four things, if you possess them, you need not worry about what you have missed of the world: preserving a trust, truthfulness in speech, good character, and chastity in food."

He also recorded from Maymun ibn Mihran: "Three things must be rendered to the righteous and the wicked alike: ties of kinship must be maintained whether the relative is righteous or wicked; a trust must be rendered to the righteous and the wicked; and a covenant must be fulfilled for the righteous and the wicked."

Muslim recorded from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "The signs of a hypocrite are three, even if he fasts, prays, and claims to be a Muslim: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays it." Reports on this are numerous. The word al-amanah has been read in the singular form; the intent is the generic category, not a specific instance. Meaning: He commands you to perform any trust whatsoever.

"...and [commands you] that when you judge between people, to judge with justice." He commanded the rendering of rights related to the liabilities of others to their rightful owners immediately following the command to render rights related to their own liabilities. Thus, the waw (and) is for conjunction, and the prepositional phrase [when you judge...] is connected to what follows the "that" (an). It is conjoined to "that you render" (an tu'addu). The prepositional phrase is connected to it, or it is connected to an implied verb that functions as a state (hal) from its subject, meaning: "And He commands you [to judge] with fairness and equality," or "while being characterized by that when you judge between people over whom your command is executed or who accept your judgment." This is built upon the school of those who see the permissibility of the prepositional phrase—which acts as an object for what is within the scope of the infinitive particle—preceding it, and separating the conjunction from the conjoined element with a prepositional phrase. In al-Tashil, it is stated that separating the conjunction from the conjoined element with a prepositional phrase or a preposition and its object is permissible—provided it is not a verb—and is not a matter of poetic necessity, contrary to Abu Ali. Due to the disagreement on this issue, Abu Hayyan went with the view that the prepositional phrase is connected to an implied verb explained by the stated one, meaning: "And that you judge when you judge between people to judge with justice," so it remains safe from what preceded it. It is not permissible to connect it to what is before it because the meaning would not be sound, as rendering a trust is not the time of judgment. "Judgment" here refers to that which stems from general or specific authority, and they included in this that which results from arbitration.

In some traditions, two young boys came to Hasan ibn Ali (may Allah’s countenance be honored) regarding a script they had written, and they appointed him as an arbitrator to judge which of the two scripts was superior. Ali (may Allah’s countenance be honored) saw this and said: "O my son, look at how you judge, for this is a judgment, and Allah the Exalted will question you about it on the Day of Resurrection."

"Indeed, how excellent is that which Allah instructs you." This is an independent sentence confirming the meaning of what preceded it, containing further kindness toward those addressed, encouraging their compliance, and manifesting the Greatest Name to foster awe. It is the subject of Inna. The sentence "how excellent is that which He instructs you" is its predicate. Ma (that which) is either interpreted as a "thing" (a complete indefinite noun), and "instructs you" is an adjective for an omitted noun, which is the specific object of praise, i.e., "What an excellent thing is the thing which He instructs you with." It is also possible [to read it as] "Excellent is it"—i.e., the thing—"as a thing He instructs you with," and the specific object of praise is omitted. Or, ma is interpreted as "that which" (a relative pronoun), and what follows it is the conjunctive clause; it is the subject of ni'ma, and the specific object of praise is also omitted, i.e., "Excellent is that which He instructs you with: the rendering of trusts and judging with justice." This was stated by Abu al-Baqa', though he reflected upon it by noting that it is established that when the subject of ni'ma is an explicit noun, it must be definite by the al- of the genus or be in a genitive construction, as in al-Mufassal. The answer is that Sibawayh permitted ma to stand in its place if it is a complete indefinite noun, and Ibn al-Sirraj also permitted the relative ma because it has the meaning of a noun made definite with al-. The claim that ma acts as a specifier (tamyiz) was challenged because it is equal to a pronoun in ambiguity and thus cannot specify it, because a specifier is for clarifying the genus of the specified. The response is to deny that it is equal to a pronoun, because the intent behind it is "a great thing," and a pronoun does not indicate that. It is strange that some said: "Indeed, ma is restrictive (kaffah)." Reflect on this. The discussion regarding the recitations of ni'ma has already passed.

"Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing..." of all that is audible, including your words, "...All-Seeing" of everything, including your deeds. Thus, the sentence contains both a promise and a warning. It has been narrated that the Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said to Ali (may Allah’s countenance be honored): "Be equal between the two disputants in your gaze and your speech."