The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said:
'Render back trusts to the one who
entrusted it to you, and do not betray the one who betrays you.' (Abu Dawud)
Amaanah is honesty. Honesty is the respect of rights and
commitments. It is also to assume one’s responsibilities. Responsibilities are
a charge that Allah (twa) has entrusted to us. By fulfilling our
responsibilities we render back trusts to the one who is entitled to it.
Faith is an Amaanah. The
practice of religious obligations such as Prayers (Salat),
Fasting (Sawm), Mandatory Tax (Zakaat) Pilgrimage (Hajj) or
even the Wudhu and Ghusl, is an Amaanah.
To carefully learn the tenets of the Muslim faith and the laws of Islam is an Amaanah. To teach the Religion (Islam) is an Amaanah. To give sincere and dedicated advice is an Amaanah. Enjoining good and preventing evil, the Haraam (anything that is illegal) and injustices is an Amaanah.
The opposite of Amaanah is Khiyaanah which
is only betrayal, cheating, deception, falsehood and deceit. Thus, lying,
fraud, deceit and deception are part of Khiyaanah. Amaanah is
the characteristic of good, sincere and accomplished believer (Mumin).
As for Khiyaanah, it is that of the hypocrite (Munafiq).
The Amaanah which is
summarized in the rights and assurance of responsibilities is even more
important than charity and forms of supererogatory spending (for cause of
Allah) or charity (Sadaqaat). Allah (twa) ordered to first pay off
the debts of the deceased, which is a return of the Amaanah to
those concerned. Second, beneficiaries of the bequest are to receive their
shares, and at last there is the division of the inheritance between the heirs.
When our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (saws) had sent his letter to the Byzantine Emperor (Heraclius) and to invite his people to Islam, the latter wished to have accurate information about our beloved Prophet. He was in the land of Palestine; so he called the Arab traders who were there. Among them was Abu Sufyan which was still a disbeliever (Kaafir). It was him that the emperor questioned because he was an important dignitary of the tribe of Quraysh, the people of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (saws).
The emperor asked Abu Sufyan many details
and Abu Sufyan answered without lies for fear that the Arabs present spread the
news that he was a liar. The Emperor then said to Abu Sufyan:
“I asked you if he is ever treacherous and
you said no! And so are the prophets, they do not act treacherously.
And I asked you to decline the things that
he commands you to practice, and you told me that he orders you to worship
Allah and not associate anything with Him, he forbids you to worship what your
parents and ancestors adored, that he orders you prayer, charity, chastity,
fidelity to commitments and to return the Amaanah (trust) to those concerned.
And it is verily the characteristics of prophets.
If what you said is true, then soon his
power will spread to where I put my feet, that is, here. I knew he was going to
appear but I did not think it was going to be among you (i.e. the Arabs). If I
could hope to get to him, I would have met him. And if he were to be in my
presence, I would have washed his feet!” (Bukhari)
The Amaanah is a
responsibility and a charge, but it is man who has chosen to take it. Allah
(twa) says in the Qur'an:
The unjust and ignorant man is one who
does not assume his duties and responsibilities; and this is the case for most
men. What a paradox! The weak, fragile and small man bears the burden of Amaanah with
its consequences, while the heavens, the earth and mountains which are so huge,
robust and immense have refused and feared! But the man who takes its
responsibility in the right way, who is worthy of it and who meets the criteria
of faith and morality will have gained by choosing to bear the charge of Amaanah,
eternal happiness, and that is why he (this kind of man) is far better than the
rest of creation.
By being worthy of Amaanah,
he becomes superior (to all creation), he accesses the heights that will enable
him to win the love and approval of Allah, and thanks to what he has as
principles and values, through the good mastering of his ego and passions,
through his goodwill and thanks to his brave and honest soul, he is such a soul
who refuses baseness and filth of sin, immorality and injustice (and
is worthy of Amaanah)!
Between good and evil, faith and
disbelief, justice and injustice, morality and immorality, loyalty and betrayal
etc., the choice is easy as long as the soul is honest and virtuous. The
difficulty in choice and the heaviness of responsibility which feels like a
yoke is when the soul drags behind it ties to a temporary world it loves
whereas the material world in question is neither true (to it) nor eternal for
it!
Allah (twa) exhorts man and reminds him
that his good choice, the one that shall earn him the top merit in heaven and
eternal happiness depends only on his goodwill, his intention and his patience
in the face of temptations and thorny trials that life on earth offers him.
Indeed, Allah (twa) says in the Holy Qur'an:
‘And none are made to receive it (eternal
bliss) but those who are patient, and none are made to receive it but those who
have a mighty good fortune. And if there comes to you from Satan an evil
suggestion, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing.’ (41: 36-37)
Man is like this! It is difficult for him
to make the right choice and he will need to display patience, perseverance and
endurance, because he sees with his eyes and feel with his senses. But when he
chooses transcendence, and let his soul soar high in the sky, higher than the
smallness of this ephemeral world and all that it entails, looking with
awareness and trusting in his belief, he will then see things according to
their true values, and he shall contemplate bliss in retribution, and he will
feel softness and bliss through (real) faith. And thus the more he shall act
according to his (spiritually advanced) soul, the more he shall be a (true)
man!
Hazrat Umar ibn Al-Khattab (ra) said: “Oh people! Do not let yourselves be impressed by a man from his word! But the one who keeps the Amaanah (keep trust/is honest) and forbids himself from dirtying the honour of the people, then he is a (true) man.”
A man has to choose according to the
criteria of Islam, to choose the good intentions, good deeds for this is
what Amaanah entails. It is the same for
transactions, but also for friends and for those to whom we entrust
responsibilities. When responsibilities of the management of people, goods,
positions, functions and institutions shall cease to be based on probity and
piety combined with jurisdiction, but according to personal interests, then
this shall be a Khiyaanah, treason.
Allah (twa) says:
Bai'ah
as Amaanah: A Sign for Our Times
And the Messenger of Allah, Hazrat
Muhammad (saws) said, ‘If
the trust is betrayed and neglected, then expect the coming of the Hour.’ The man (a Bedouin) who asked the initial question
further asked: ‘And
how it can be wasted or betrayed?’ The
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) replied: ‘When the matter is entrusted to those who are unqualified to implement
its duties, then wait for the Hour.’
Unfortunately, nowadays the Amaanah formerly
entrusted to leaders who have promised to preserve it has been lost and
therefore Allah has raised His Chosen Messenger in this century to restore
the Amaanah and to bring out the value of its
brilliance in the hearts of the real truth seekers who are thirsty for this
light.
The Amaanah you owe to Allah is also to respect the Bai’ah (allegiance) that you took in the hand of Allah and His Chosen Messenger in this era to spread the Tawheed (Oneness of God) until the end of the world by sacrificing everything in the way of Allah. By sacrificing all, it is Allah that you will receive, as possession of this Treasure requires you to completely erase your own existence and letting the identity of Allah fill your soul so that your actions are promoted by the divine will, for His infinite pleasure. Insha-Allah. Ameen.
- Friday
Sermon of 21 August 2015 delivered
by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba)
of Mauritius.