There is a famous saying: “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains” — by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778), the French philosopher, in his work “The Social Contract” (1762). Which means that man is intrinsically born free, free to express him and act as per his own aspirations. But if he s allowed to take his own decisions which may hurt and harm others, then he cannot be allowed to live freely and has to abide by laws, or societal restrictions.
Likewise, free will is afforded to man in Islam to take his own decisions - but these decisions must be within the ambit of responsibility and accountability. That is if he takes decisions while being fearful of his Creator, he will be rewarded - but if he violated Divine laws, he will surely be held accountable for his acts and be dealt with severly when the Day of Judgement is enacted.
With this premise in view, we share one of the most profound verses from Al Qur'an which touches upon free will, human responsibility, and accountability. Let’s break it down carefully:
The Verse
اِنَّا عَرَضۡنَا الۡاَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرۡضِ وَالۡجِبَالِ فَاَبَيۡنَ اَنۡ يَّحۡمِلۡنَهَا وَاَشۡفَقۡنَ مِنۡهَا وَ حَمَلَهَا الۡاِنۡسَانُؕ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ ظَلُوۡمًا جَهُوۡلًا ۙ
“Indeed, We offered the Trust (al-Amānah) to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and feared it; yet man undertook it. Indeed, he is ever unjust and ignorant.” (33:72)
Note: We have already presented the detailed explanation of the verse 73 which can be read from our earlier post: Surah Al Ahzab - The Clans: Exegesis / Tafseer of 33rd Chapter of Holy Qur'an for detailed understanding. Herein under we only present a summarized / tabulated explanation of the verse:
What is “al-Amānah” (the Trust)?
Scholars differ, but all meanings circle around moral and spiritual responsibility:
- Obligations of Shari‘ah: prayers, fasting, zakah, etc. (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr).
- Free Will and Accountability: the ability to choose obedience or disobedience.
- Tawḥīd and Divine Commands: testifying that there is no god but Allah, and living by that.
- General Trustworthiness: fulfilling promises, rights, and responsibilities (al-Qurṭubī).
- In essence: Amānah = carrying the weight of moral accountability before Allah.
Why did the heavens, earth, and mountains refuse?
They did not reject out of arrogance but out of fear of failing. Instead, they preferred submission without moral choice, while man accepted the challenge of free will — with all the risks it brings.This illustrates how serious the trust is.
Why is man called “ẓalūm jahūl” (unjust and ignorant)?
Man took over the responsibility of entrusting the moral responsibility (Amānah) on his free will and accord, despite being:
- Unjust (ẓalūm): because he often betrays the trust — oppresses himself and others by sin, neglect, or corruption.
- Ignorant (jahūl): because he does not realize the weight of the responsibility, taking it lightly.
Why man still undertook a daunting task which even mountains refused to carry?
Man took it up because he is able to know God through his faculties and feelings. He can recognize God’s law by reflection and consideration, and apply this law by his endeavour, obeying God willingly and by choice, resisting desires that lead to deviation and disobedience. In every step along this way man is acting by his own will, using his own knowledge, choosing his way fully aware of the end to which it leads.
Link to the Next Verse (33:73)
"(33:73) (The consequence of man's carrying the trust is) that Allah may chastise hypocritical men and hypocritical women and accept the repentance of believing men and believing women. He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful."
- Accepting the trust exposes people to two outcomes:
- Punishment for hypocrites and disbelievers who betray it.
- Mercy for believers who strive and repent.
- This shows the duality of human potential — lowest depths or highest ranks.
Hadith Connection
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “When a man makes a promise and intends to fulfill it, but he does not do so, there is no sin on him. But if he makes a promise without intending to fulfill it, then he is a hypocrite.” (Abu Dawud 4991) - This is Trust is tied to faith and hypocrisy.
- In another Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no faith for the one who is not trustworthy.” (Musnad Ahmad 12565, ṣaḥīḥ) - That is Faith and Amānah are inseparable.
Relevance for Today
Every verse of Al Qur'an is as relevant today as it was when the Al Qur'an was revealed. Let us correlate this verse to our present life:
- In personal life: honesty, promises, duties to family, prayers — all are Amānah.
- In society: leadership, wealth, knowledge, power — all must be handled as trusts, not for selfish abuse.
- In global context: the misuse of human free will (oppression, corruption, environmental harm) shows man’s “ẓalūm jahūl” nature when he forgets the trust.
Summary
Verse 33:72 teaches that the greatest gift and test given to humans is moral responsibility (Amānah). Unlike creation that obeys naturally, man has free will — and with it, the danger of betrayal or the honor of fulfilling the trust. It warns of the gravity of our choices while offering hope that believers who honor this trust will find Allah’s mercy.
You may refer to more Selected Verses from Sürah 33. Al-Ahzāb already published.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
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