بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Understanding the Trust (Amana) in Ayat 33:72 of the Quran
In Ayat 33:72 of the Quran, Allah mentions a profound concept of “trust” (amana) that was offered to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it. It was ‘man’ who accepted this trust, as the verse describes:
33:72 إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنسَانُ ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا
Indeed we offered ‘the trust’ to the heavens and the earth and the mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid there-of, but ‘the man’ undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and ignorant.
This raises a pivotal question: What is this trust which the man accepted? ‘Amana’/trust is something which belongs to other and is entrusted to someone for sometime for safekeeping: By exploring the Quran, we can uncover clues about what was from Allah, given to man which is mentioned as a trust in ayat 33:72.
32-7-9 الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ ۖ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ الْإِنسَانِ مِن طِينٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِن سُلَالَةٍ مِّن مَّاءٍ مَّهِينٍ ثُمَّ سَوَّاهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِهِ ۖ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ
He Who perfected everything which He created and He began the creation of man from dust/clay, Then He made his progeny from an extract of an insignificant fluid; Then He proportioned him, and breathed into him from His spirit, and He made for you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and heart (feelings), little thanks do you give!
From above verses, we learn that Allah breathed from His Spirit (ruh) into man, distinguishing humans from other creatures. This indicates that the trust mentioned in ayat 33:72 is the spirit/ruh of Allah breathed into man.
The Implications of Bearing the Trust
The ayat immediately following 33:72 explains that because of this ‘trust’/’amana’ which was accepted by man, Allah is to take accountability of man i.e rewards of good deeds and penalty for wrong doings. This means that this trust i.e the Spirit of God in man, gives him the ability to judge between good and evil Because of this ability of the man to judge between evil and good, Allah will take accountability of man for his deeds in the world.
33:73 لِّيُعَذِّبَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمُشْرِكَاتِ وَيَتُوبَ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا
So that Allah punishes the hypocrites, men and women and the associaters, men and women, and Allah turns in mercy to the believing men and women, for Allah is forgiving, merciful.
A Hidden Dimension in Creation
Ayat 33:72 also suggests a profound reality about creation. The heavens, earth, and mountains are described as declining to bear the trust, which implies they possess a form of awareness or consciousness unknown to us. This aligns with Quranic references to the glorification of Allah by all creation, even if it is beyond human comprehension:
17:44 تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهِنَّ ۚ وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلَّا يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا
The seven heavens and the earth, and all therein, declare His glory. There is not a thing but who celebrates His praise; And yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He is forbearer, forgiving!
Quran also tells that stones have fear of Allah meaning the inanimate stones also have some form of consciousness
2:74 ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً ۚ وَإِنَّ مِنَ الْحِجَارَةِ لَمَا يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنْهُ الْأَنْهَارُ ۚ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ الْمَاءُ ۚ وَإِنَّ مِنْهَا لَمَا يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
After that your hearts were hardened. They became like a stone or even worse in hardness, for among the stones there are some from which streams gush forth; others there are which when split asunder send forth water; and others which go down for fear of Allah, and Allah is not unmindful of what you do.
Modern scientific theories, such as string theory, which posits the existence of multiple hidden dimensions, may one day shed light on these hidden realities. The ‘nafs’ and our thoughts is another dimension of us which is although not visible to us but Allah can see this dimension and knows what is hidden in our heart. While science does not currently recognize this ability in inanimate objects, the Quran’s perspective opens a realm of possibilities that may align with future discoveries.
Conclusion
The “trust” (amana) mentioned in Ayat 33:72 appears to be the Spirit (ruh) of Allah that was uniquely entrusted to man. This gift empowers humans with the faculties to judge between right and wrong, making them accountable for their deeds. The implications of this trust are profound, connecting moral responsibility with divine judgment.
Additionally, the verse hints at dimensions of creation that remain hidden from human understanding, suggesting that the Quran contains layers of wisdom that invite continual reflection and discovery.
Notes:
Concept of hyperdimensionality — the intriguing possibility that our universe harbors more dimensions than the four we can perceive (three spatial dimensions and one of time).
Could this expanded view open new pathways for exploring the nature of consciousness?
By examining these broader dimensions, we may uncover insights that have significant implications for our understanding of the universe and our place within it.
“The sheer fact we can conceive of higher dimensions than four within our mind, within our mathematics, is a gift… It’s something that transcends biology,” Pravica told Popular Mechanics.
He believes that our ability to imagine and mathematically describe dimensions beyond our physical experience hints at a deeper connection between consciousness and the fabric of the universe.
Topics from The Book (Al-Kitab) 