On Trust and Obligation

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

One of the marks of true believers is, according to the Qur’an, that they "faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants" (23:8).

Maulana Shabbir Ahmad Usmani has briefly explained it in these words: "They do not commit breach of trust and do not break promises, neither in the matter of God nor in the matter of men" (p. 443).

Everything man has is given to him in trust by God or by man. In this way everyone is bound by certain promises and obligations. Some obligations are entered into by written or spoken agreement, while others are a matter of tacit understanding. Whatever the form of agreement, man has to fulfill all these trusts and obligations. If he fails to do so, he does not come up to the highest standards of humanity. He is proving himself guilty in the eyes of God.Man’s body, heart and mind, are all like trusts from God. It is, therefore, incumbent upon man to make the best use of these endowments within the limits decreed by God. That is, his hands and feet should move only for the cause of justice, and not for tyranny. His mind should be full only of well-wishing and not of ill-will. Similarly all the trusts by which he is bound should be discharged to the trustees, whether these trusts are in written or in verbal form. He should never regard another’s possessions as his own.

Everyone is bound by obligations, in relation on the one hand to man and on the other to God. According to the Qur’an, trust of two kinds stems from God; one is the inherent sense of responsibility man is born with; this form of trust is binding upon all human beings born on this earth. Another form of trust is that which arises from faith in God. Only those are bound by this sense of commitment who have embraced God’s religion as brought to them by God’s messenger; in this sense, these believers are consciously bound in trust. Let’s now take the matter of trust as regards man. Some obligations are incurred from time to time as they arise in particular and are set down in contracts, while others automatically devolve upon individuals either as family members, or as citizens of the state, living in society. Discharging all these trusts and obligations is man’s duty, in obedience both to his own nature and to the Shariah.