ভূমিকা

Surely Allah commands you to make over trusts to their owners and that when you judge between people you judge with justice; surely Allah admonishes you with what is excellent; surely Allah is Seeing, Hearing. (Sura Nisa 4:58) Commentators have differed about the circumstances of the revelation of this verse. There are several opinions. The first is that it is about every person to whom anybody entrusts something.

The trust of Allah is his commands and prohibitions and the trusts of people are the things like property for which some make others their trustees. This has been mentioned in a number of traditions of Imams Baqir and Sadiq (a.s.). So much so that in some narrations it is mentioned that: Even if the murderer of Amirul Momineen entrusts me the killer sword to me, I will return it to him (on demand).

Secondly, Shaykh Tabarsi (r.a.) has said about Caliphs and the people (rulers) in charge (Vaaliyaan-e-Amr) that Allah has ordered them to rule the masses with justice and to keep them obedient to the Religion and the Shariah.

People have quoted Imams Baqir and Sadiq (a.s.) that: Allah has ordered every Imam to hand over the Imamate to his successor Imams and it is so because Allah has ordered the masses to obey those in authority and the Imams have said that there are two verses: One is for us and the other for you. One is the aforesaid verse and another is: O you who believe! obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those in authority from among you.

4:59 Tabarsi says that this statement is also included in the first statement because this also is from among the things on which Allah has made the truthful Imams (a.s.) the trustees. Likewise Imam Baqir (a.s.) has said that the offering of Prayer, Fasting, Zakat and Hajj also come under trusts and so also the distribution of booty and charities as well as all the things concerning the rights of the public as orders by Allah to the rulers-in-charge.