Transliteration:( Innal laaha ya'murukum an tu'addul amaanaati ilaaa ahlihaa wa izaa hakamtum bainan naasi an tahkumoo bil'adl; innal laaha ni'immaa ya'izukum bih; innal laaha kaana Samee'am Baseeraa )
“Indeed, Allah commands you to deliver back the trusts to their owners [201], and when you judge between people, judge with justice [202]. Surely, Allah admonishes you well. Indeed, Allah is ever Hearing, All Seeing [203].”
Trust (Amanah) refers to anything entrusted to someone, whether it involves:
Wealth
Duties and responsibilities
Knowledge
Divine mystical secrets
Every individual is accountable for fulfilling their entrusted duties with honesty and sincerity.
Some scholars mention this verse was revealed when the Holy Prophet ﷺ ordered Hazrat Uthman bin Talha (Radiallahu Anhu), the keeper of the keys of the Ka'bah, to return the keys after the Conquest of Makkah. Other Companions requested this honor, but the keys were returned to Hazrat Uthman in keeping with the principle of trust.
He later accepted Islam, moved by the high moral example shown by the Prophet ﷺ.
According to Tafseer Khazainul Irfaan, Allama Muradabadi (Radiallahu Anhu) notes that Hazrat Uthman had already embraced Islam in 8th Hijri, about two years before the conquest.
Allah knows best.
To this day, the descendants of Hazrat Uthman bin Talha are custodians of the Ka'bah's keys—a lasting honor of trust.
Though the verse had a specific occasion, its command is general and applies to every type of trust.
According to Islamic jurists (Ulama), a ruler or officer must treat both parties in a legal dispute equally in five matters:
Permission – Grant both parties access to consultation.
Seating – Provide both with equal seating arrangements.
Attention – Offer undivided and equal attention to both sides.
Listening – Hear both parties with the same level of seriousness.
Judgment – Deliver a verdict that is absolutely impartial and fair.
This reflects the core value of justice in Islamic governance.
O rulers and officials! Be aware: there is a higher authority above you—Allah, who is:
Hearing your discussions
Seeing your judgments
Monitoring your decisions
And tomorrow, you too will be summoned to His Court to answer for your conduct.
58. Verily, Allah commands that you should render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due; and that when you judge between men, you judge with justice. Verily, how excellent is the teaching which He (Allah) gives you! Truly, Allah is Ever All-Hearer, All-Seer.
Allah commands that the trusts be returned to their rightful owners. Al-Hasan narrated that Samurah said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(Return the trust to those who entrusted you, and do not betray those who betrayed you.) Imam Ahmad and the collectors of Sunan recorded this Hadith. This command refers to all things that one is expected to look after, such as Allah’s rights on His servants: praying, Zakah, fasting, penalties for sins, vows and so forth. The command also includes the rights of the servants on each other, such as what they entrust each other with, including the cases that are not recorded or documented. Allah commands that all types of trusts be fulfillled. Those who do not implement this command in this life, it will be extracted from them on the Day of Resurrection. It is recorded in the Sahih that the Messenger of Allah said,
(The rights will be rendered back to those to whom they are due, and even the sheep that does not have horns will take revenge from the horned sheep.) Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Jurayj said about this Ayah, “It was revealed concerning `Uthman bin Talhah from whom the Messenger of Allah took the key of the Ka`bah and entered it on the Day of the victory of Makkah. When the Prophet went out, he was reciting this Ayah,
(Verily, Allah commands that you should render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due). He then called `Uthman and gave the key back to him.” Ibn Jarir also narrated that `Umar bin Al-Khattab said, “When the Messenger of Allah went out of the Ka`bah, he was reciting this Ayah,
(Verily, Allah commands that you should render back the trusts to those, to whom they are due). May I sacrifice my father and mother for him, I never heard him recite this Ayah before that.” It is popular that this is the reason behind revealing the Ayah (4:58). Yet, the application of the Ayah is general, and this is why Ibn `Abbas and Muhammad bin Al-Hanafiyyah said, “This Ayah is for the righteous and wicked,” meaning it is a command that encompasses everyone.
Allah said,
(and that when you judge between men, you judge with justice.) commanding justice when judging between people. Muhammad bin Ka`b, Zayd bin Aslam and Shahr bin Hawshab said; “This Ayah was revealed about those in authority”, meaning those who judge between people. A Hadith states,
(Allah is with the judge as long as he does not commit injustice, for when he does, Allah will make him reliant on himself.) A statement goes, “One day of justice equals forty years of worship.” Allah said,
(Verily, how excellent is the teaching which He (Allah) gives you!) meaning, His commands to return the trusts to their owners, to judge between people with justice, and all of His complete, perfect and great commandments and laws. Allah’s statement,
(Truly, Allah is Ever All-Hearer, All-Seer.) means, He hears your statements and knows your actions.
(4:58) Allah commands you to deliver trusts to those worthy of them; and when you judge between people, to judge with justice.[88] Excellent is the admonition Allah gives you. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
88. Here the Muslims are forewarned against the evils which had afflicted the Israelites. One of the fundamental mistakes committed by the Israelites was that in the time of their degeneration they had handed over positions of trust (i.e. religious and political leadership) to incompetent, mean, immoral, dishonest and corrupt people. The result was that corruption spread throughout the nation. The Muslims are directed to take heed of this, and to entrust positions of responsibility only to those who are capable of shouldering the burdens of such positions. The other major weakness of the Israelites was that they completely lost their sense of justice. In their pursuit of either personal or national interests, honesty and good faith were often sacrificed. The Muslims, in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him), were themselves subjected to gross injustice at their hands. On the one side were the Prophet (peace be on him) and his followers, to whose purity of life and conduct the Jews were themselves witnesses. On the other side were those who worshipped idols, buried their daughters alive, married their step-mothers and circumambulated the Ka’bah naked. Despite this, these so-called People of the Book felt no shame in declaring that the latter were closer to righteousness than the Muslims. After informing the Muslims of the iniquity of the Jews, God now warns them against committing similar injustices. They should rather declare what is right in the face of friend and foe alike, and judge between people with equity and justice.
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