الأمانة

فضيلة الشيخ صالح بن فوزان بن عبد الله الفوزان

حفظه الله

http://alfawzan.af.org.sa/node/15065

Al-Amaanah (The Trust)

By Eminence Shaykh Salih bin Fawzan bin Abdillah al Fawzan

May Allah preserve Him

All praise is due to Allah peace and blessing be upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and all of his companions.

Al-Amaanah ( الأمانة the trust or the moral responsibility or honesty, and all the duties which Allah has ordained) is taken from الأمْن al-Aman (securer, trust) and it is the opposite of الخوف al-Khawuf (fear) Allah’s magnitude is from the affairs of al-Amaanah, Glorified is He the Most High said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَخُونُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ وَتَخُونُوا أَمَانَاتِكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

“O you who believe! Betray not Allah and His Messenger, nor betray knowingly your Amaanah (things entrusted to you, and all the duties which Allah has ordained for you).”

( سورة الأنفال , Al-Anfal, Chapter #8, Verse #27)

And Allah the Majestic the Most High said:

وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ

“Those who are faithfully true to their Amaanah (all the duties which Allah has ordained, honesty, moral responsibility and trusts) and to their covenants;”

( , Al-Mumenoon, Chapter #23, Verse #8) & ( Al-Maarij, Chapter #70, Verse #32)

And in this verse:

إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَحْمِلْنَهَا

“Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it”

Indeed Allah offer the grandiose creations an offer of choice, and He did not offer it as a must. For he who perform this al-Amaanah for him is the reward. And he preserves this al-Amaanah and he who breaks it he is a sinner. So the well-being of the creations preferred this advantage ( heaven and earth for not bearing this al-Amaanah knowing its great responsibility):

فَأَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَحْمِلْنَهَا

“but they declined to bear it”

‘We refrained from bearing the al-Amaanah for the might of its responsibility’.

وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا

“and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah’s Torment”

‘We fear this al-Amaanah’, this indicates the importance of the al-Amaanah.

وَحَمَلَهَا الإِنْسَانُ

“ But man bore it”

Adam and his prodigies, so they preferred this gain by the well-being of Adam and his love for the reward so they bored this al-Amaanah.

وَحَمَلَهَا الإِنْسَانُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُوماً جَهُولاً

“But man bore it. Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results)”

(, Al-Ahzab, Chapter #33, Verse #72)

So in the people, there are two descriptions of these types of people. So concerning a person he who is benevolent and he who has good (i.e. charter, manners.) From them are the Messengers and the Prophets and the Pious. From what is intended these types of people from the description of these types of people the unjust (oppressors) and the ignorant which is he who is without patience. Because ignorance has two sections:

Ignorance means (1) without knowledge, and (2) without patience.

إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُوماً جَهُولاً

“Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results)”

And the intention of al-Amaanah in this noble verse.

The command of the Shariah (Islamic Laws) the doing of all type of obedience and staying away from all that is prohibited. Along with the Tawheed (oneness of Allah) the Majestic the Most High, without association (of partners) in worship with Him.

This is the greatest of al-Amaanah which Allah conveyed it and created it just as He Exalted and the Most High said:

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإِنسَ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُونِ

“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).”

Adh-Dhariyat, Chapter #51, Verse #56

So Ibadah (the worship of Allah) is the al-Amaanah between the slave and his Lord entirely and for individuals. For this the Messengers of Allah sallahu alyhi wa salam said: “ Salah there is an al-Amaanah (trust) and at-Taharah (purification) there is an al-Amaanah (trust)”.

And this is an example of it, and al-Amaanah in general is all what Allah legislated, Glorified is He and the Most High. Al-Amaanah is what is between a slave and his Lord, and like this, the Bailee (person entrusted with a trust, lamblike) is to be with the trustee of the people (i.e. property, information of people, care off, that which is valuable and etc).

Many of the people do not understand what is from al-Amaanah. Except for this type that consider it to be restricted to the Bailee (trusted see footnotes 1) and it’s not like this. The Bailee type from al-Amaanah and it obligatory upon him that he performs the duty of trust (al-Amaanah). Performing al-Amaanah to him who trusted you with a duty.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الأَمَانَاتِ إِلَى أَهْلِهَا

“Verily! Allah commands that you should render back the trusts to those to whom they are due”

This kind of al-Amaanaat (plural all type of trust) is the secrets of trust between people. The secret trust you must preserve it. Nor do you spread it, indeed you are entrusted of this secret.

Also, this is from different kinds of trust of employment which the head (i.e. President, head of a company, supervisor, director) gives you a position,job duties (you must adhere to it) or agency or any place of employment. There is an-al-Amaanah in your pact also you take the reward for it. And there is an al-Amaanah in your pact and it is obligatory that you fulfill it, Allah advice it for His Messenger sallahu wa alyhi wa salam and for the Muslims’ leader, and for the general of the people.

And you establish the entrusted work given to you in employment, and you do not reduce from it a thing because it’s a trust (i.e. become lazy with your work duties). If he abandons from it a thing or you lost it indeed this is betrayal so it obligatory on the Muslim that he is aware of it regarding this affair.

Translated by Abul Baraa Muhammad Abdullah bin Earl bin Earl A’l Allister al-Amreeki

Footnotes

1. Bailee (custodian legal term in English) n. a person with whom some article is left, usually pursuant to a contract (called a “contract of bailment”), who is responsible for the safe return of the article to the owner when the contract is fulfilled. These can include banks holding bonds, storage companies where furniture or files are deposited, a parking garage, or a kennel or horse ranch where an animal is boarded. Leaving goods in a sealed rented box like a safe deposit box is not a bailment, and the holder is not a bailee since he cannot handle or control the goods