Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says:
“Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due. And when you judge between people, judge with justice. Excellent is that which Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing and Seeing.” (Surah An-Nisa [4]: 58).
Imam As-Suyuthi Rahimahullah in his book “Asbabun Nuzul” explains the reason for the revelation of the above verse. It is narrated by Ibn Mardawih that Ibn Abbas said, “When the Messenger of Allah conquered the city of Makkah, he called Uthman bin Talhah, the keeper of the keys to the Ka’bah who had not yet embraced Islam.
When Uthman came to him, the Messenger of Allah said, ‘Give me the keys to the Ka’bah.’ So he brought the keys to the Ka’bah and gave them to the Messenger of Allah. At that moment, Abbas (the Prophet’s uncle) stood up and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, give the keys to me so that the duty of providing water and the keys to the Ka’bah can be held by me together.’ However, the Messenger of Allah did not give the keys to him.
After holding the keys to the Ka’bah, the Messenger of Allah then opened the door of the Ka’bah and entered it. Then the Angel Jibril Alaihi Salam descended to him with a message from Allah Ta’ala (Surah An-Nisa verse 58 above) to return the keys to their previous holder. So the Messenger of Allah called Uthman bin Talhah again and returned the keys.
Meanwhile, Imam Ibn Kathir Rahimahullah in his tafsir explains that the trust (amanah) in the above verse includes individual obligations to Allah Ta’ala, such as prayer, zakat, and fasting, as well as social obligations to fellow human beings such as safeguarding deposits, fulfilling promises, and even leading with justice.
In other words, trust essentially encompasses all aspects of a Muslim’s life, both the relationship with Allah (hablun minallah) and the relationship with people (hablun minannas).
In the above verse, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala also commands the establishment of justice in making judgments. Imam Fakhruddin ar-Razi Rahimahullah emphasizes that justice is the foundation of civilization.
Without justice, society will be divided, and chaos will prevail. Therefore, from the perspective of Islamic law, justice is one of the maqasid ash-shari’ah (primary objectives of the sharia).
The above verse is one of the important foundations in building a just, civilized, and dignified society. Scholars agree that the trust (amanah) in this verse has a broad meaning, encompassing all forms of responsibility borne by humans, whether personal, social, or spiritual.
Trust as the Foundation of Life
If a person is given a trust, then they are required to fulfill that trust to the best of their ability. They must safeguard the trust given to them with full responsibility, honesty, and integrity. A trust is not merely a deposit, but also a test that will later be accounted for before Allah Ta’ala and people.
Trust is like the foundation of a building. If the foundation is strong, the building will stand firmly. However, if the foundation is weak, the building will eventually collapse, even if it looks magnificent from the outside. Similarly, in society, when trust is neglected, the social order will collapse.
Neglected trust will cause public distrust towards its leaders, mutual suspicion will spread, and horizontal conflicts will emerge everywhere. On a larger scale, betrayal of trust can destroy the entire system of life.
Thus, the neglect of trust not only has material impacts but also triggers a crisis of trust in society. When the people see officials living lavishly, while they themselves struggle hard to meet basic needs, then feelings of disappointment, anger, and apathy arise. If this condition is allowed to persist, then the entire fabric of life will collapse.
From a religious perspective, trust (especially leadership) is not only a social responsibility but also a spiritual accountability, namely to Allah Ta’ala on the Day of Judgment. In a hadith from the companion Abu Hurairah Radhiallahu anhu, the Messenger of
