Ahmad records from Anas (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "There is no faith for the one who has no amanah and no religion for the one who does not keep his promises." A similar wording is recorded by al-Bayhaqi on the authority of Thawban (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "There is no faith for the one who has no amanah and there is no prayer for the one who is not in wudu ." AI-Munawi (RAH) said: "Amonah is the core of faith and its position is that of the heart to the body. Amaanah is to be found in seven limbs: the eyes, ears, tongue,hand, foot, stomach, and the private parts. Whoever leaves off fulfilling the Amanah of any of these limbs, his faith will be sullied, and whoever leaves off the Amonah of all of them, he will leave the circle of faith. (Fayd al-Qadir)
It is in this light that Umar would say: "The one who has no Amonah is devoid of religion." (Bayhaqi) The Salaf would look to a person’s Amonah and truthfulness as an indication of his religiosity rather than his prayer and fasting. Ibn Umar (RA) would say: "Do not look to the prayer of anyone, nor his fasting, but look to the truthfulness of his speech when he talks, his fulfilment of trusts when he is entrusted, and.:his scrupulousness when he is given a position of responsibility." (Bayhaqi) Bayhaqi,Shu ab al-lrnan records on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Discharge the trust to those who entrust you and do not act treacherously to those who act so with you."
Fulfilling Trusts Guarantees Paradise Ibn Hibban records on the authority of 'Ubadah bin as-Samit that the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Guarantee me six and I will guarantee you Paradise: be truthful when you speak; fulfil your promises; carry out what you are entrusted with; safeguard your private parts; lower your gaze; and restrain your hands. "Fudayl bin Ayad said, the foundation of faith in our view, after the testimony of Tawhid and after attesting that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) conveyed the message and after the performance of the obligations, is: being truthful in speech; preserving the trusts; leaving off treachery; fulfilling promises; joining the ties of kinship; and giving sincere advice to all the Muslims. (Ali al-Qari, Mirqat)
A Secret is an Amanah At-Tirmidhi records on the authority of [abir bin Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "When a person speaks, then turns [left and right], that speech becomes an amanah," Meaning that his speech has the ruling of an amonah and as such it is not permissible to spread it and broadcast it. Ibn Raslan said:"This is because his looking around serves to alert the person he is speaking to that he fears that another may hear what he is saying and that these words are for the listener only." Al-Alqami said: Meaning that when someone says something to you and then goes away, his speech becomes an Amdnah and it is not permissible for you to spread it. Hence he understands the turning mentioned in the hadith to mean going away but the first possibility is the obvious one.(Bayhaqi)
The generality of this hadith finds specificity in the hadith of Jabir recorded by Abu Dawud that the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Gatherings are an amdnah except for three, those for the purpose of shedding blood unlawfully; or committing fornication; or acquiring property unjustly."(Alial-Qarl, Mirqat) Lack of Amanah will be the feature of later times Bukhari and Muslim record on the authority of Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (RA) said, The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) narrated two hadith to us, one of which I have seen and the other I am still awaiting: he narrated to us,"Trust (amdnah) descended into the core of the hearts of men, then the Qur’an was revealed and they learnt [it from] the Qur’an and they learnt [it from] the Sunnah." Then he narrated to us about the removal of trust, "A man will sleep for q time and trust would be taken from his heart, leaving behind it only a faint trace.
Then he would sleep for a time and trust would be taken from his heart leaving behind it the impression of a small blister, as if one of you rolled an ember on his foot which then blisters leaving behind it a swelling that is empty." Then he took a pebble and rolled it on his foot and said, "So people would awake and trade with each other and hardly any of them will discharge their trusts to the point that it will be said, In such-a-such a tribe there is a trustworthy person and it will be said about a person, How prudent he is! How perspicuous he is! How intelligent he is! and there is not in his heart even the weight of a mustard seed of faith." A time has passed me wherein I cared not with whom I traded: if he was a Muslim, his religion would cause him to return the trust; and if he was a Christian or a Jew, his master would cause him to return the trust. As for now, I only trade with such-and-such a person from amongst you.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited