Al-Ahzab 33:72

We offered the trust to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains: and the refused to undertake it, and were afraid of it; but the human being undertook it � but surely, he has been unjust to himself, and foolish [33:72}.


Salaam all, I'm trying to understand this ayah in the Al-Quran. Is there any Scholar amongst us here who can shed light on its meaning, please? I'm curious about what this 'trust' is, and why by taking it, man has been "unjust to himself and foolish".

Thank you so much in advance.

Thank you so much for your prompt reply!

Although I'm reflecting - wasn't free will granted to Adam from the start? As opposed to Angels who follow Allah SWT's commands unquestioningly because they don't have a choice? (The only exceptions here being Harut and Marut which were tested). Or do Angels too have a choice, but never transgress because they don't dare to?

I can understand why, in disobeying Allah SWT's commands, we have proven to be foolish. For our souls are meant to completely submit unquestioningly - which will then be in harmony with all/ doing justice to ourselves. But, I don't understand how in taking up this challenge/ trust of striving to prove ourselves worthy of Allah's mercy whilst living, we are doing ourselves injustice. Unless it is insinuating, that it is nearly impossible, and therefore almost a certain failure for most? :\

Hope you understand my query. Thank you so much, in advance!

murid55 wrote: Thank you so much for your prompt reply! Although I'm reflecting - wasn't free will granted to Adam from the start? As opposed to Angels who follow Allah SWT's commands unquestioningly because they don't have a choice? (The only exceptions here being Harut and Marut which were tested). Or do Angels too have a choice, but never transgress because they don't dare to? I can understand why, in disobeying Allah SWT's commands, we have proven to be foolish. For our souls are meant to completely submit unquestioningly - which will then be in harmony with all/ doing justice to ourselves. But, I don't understand how in taking up this challenge/ trust of striving to prove ourselves worthy of Allah's mercy whilst living, we are doing ourselves injustice. Unless it is insinuating, that it is nearly impossible, and therefore almost a certain failure for most? :\ Hope you understand my query. Thank you so much, in advance!

Salam aleikum! I found this in the tafsir of Ibn Kathir (RA):

Ibn Kathir�s tafsir � Surah Ahzab 33:72: �Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said, �Al-Amanah means obedience. This was offered to them before it was offered to Adam, and they could not bear it. Then Allah said to Adam: `I have offered the Amanah to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they could not bear it. Will you take it on� He said, `O Lord, what does it involve� He said, `If you do good, you will be rewarded, and if you do evil, you will be punished.� So Adam took the Amanah and bore it, and this is what is referred to in the Ayah: ﴿وَحَمَلَهَا الإِنْسَـنُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُوماً جَهُولاً﴾ (But man bore it. Verily, he was unjust and ignorant.)� `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said, �Al-Amanah means Al-Fara�id (the obligatory duties). Allah offered them to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, (on the grounds that) if they fulfilled them, He would reward them; and if they failed, He would punish them. But they did not want to do that, and they were afraid of it, not because their intention was sinful, but because of their respect for the religion of Allah, in case they could not fulfill the obligations involved. Then Allah offered it to Adam, and he accepted it with all that it entailed. �

So, yes, God did offer Adam (AS) free-will from the start. God offered it, and Adam (AS) accepted it. God said what would happen if he failed, be he took it anyway. That explains why Allah (SWT) calls us "unjust and foolish", because we had/have no idea what this "free-will" means. We say we understand, but do we really? Adam (AS) accepted this "challenge", because we, humans, love challenges. It's in our nature. So basically, Allah (SWT) created us with free-will, because He knew that Adam (AS) would accept His offer.

This "challenge" is obedience. We can choose to disobey, because of our free-will. We can also choose to obey. We know what the consequences are for both. Adam (AS) also knew this (God explained him), and he accepted it, because the nature of the human being is that we want the best of the best (rewards, leading to Eternal Paradise). So when God offered him Paradise for his good deeds, he didn't really think about what would happen if I failed. No, his heart was attached to Paradise. Hence, making him "foolish" for not understanding. But we WILL understand on the Day of Judgement. If you have any more questions about this, then ask.

Yes, Angels do NOT have free-will. So, if you don't have a free-will, you cannot disobey. Angels are the TRUE slaves/servants of Allah (SWT). When we, as humans, submit to the Will of God, then we are slaves/servants in that field. We will never be the same as the Angels, because we make mistakes, and we sin. Yet, the Believers (human or jinn) are the best of creation, because we are the ones who are in a test.

Harut and Marut were not tested. They tested the people. Here is a video about them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt_Usd_2F9Y


We are doing ourselves injustice when we don't wake up to the reality that this "test" is very serious. We haven't realised yet. We are being unjust towards ourselves, because of us not realising this, we will pay the consequence for this, hence making us foolish for not doing anything about it. We have a chance to change our own very lives, yet most of us don't.

Only God knows how many people will be in Hellfire, and how many people will be in Paradise. I think, personally (you don't have to agree with me here), that most of us will enter Paradise. If not, then Iblees was right, wasn't he? This could never be.


If you have any more questions, or you want to ask other questions, then feel free to reply.


May Allah (SWT) guide us.


EDIT: I want to say one last thing, to make it clearer. The reason why God asked/offered Adam (AS) that challenge, is because He is Just. Just imagine. If God didn't ask Adam (AS) about if he wants to accept this challenge, and just "forced" him, then Adam (AS), and also every single human being, can say the excuse (on the Day of Judgement): "Oh Lord, why haven't you asked us if we WANT free-will?" That's an excuse for why we would fail. And God would've accepted that excuse, because it's a good one. But yet, God DID offer us free-will, and we accepted it, so therefore, we cannot have the excuse of saying that we "were not asked". That would make Allah (SWT) unjust for not asking, authobillah. But He did ask us, therefore making him The Just, which is one of His 99 attributes/titles/names. God KNEW that we would accept this offer, but He asked it anyway, to show us that when we fail, WE fail. And you can ONLY blame yourself, not God, because He offered it us. So therefore, God was not unjust, be we were, just like the verse said. If you want me to explain more, then ask me.

Edited by Al Ghuraba - 24 September 2015 at 7:43am