Qur'an 8:27
 | |
| Verse's Information | |
|---|---|
| Name | Verse of Khiyana fi l-Amana |
| Sura | Sura al-Anfal (Qur'an 8) |
| Verse | 27 |
| Juz' | 9 |
| Page | 180 |
| Content Information | |
| Cause of Revelation | The treachery of Abu Lubaba al-Ansari in revealing military secrets |
| Place of Revelation | Medina |
| Topic | Jurisprudential |
| About | Treachery against Trusts |
Qur'an 8:27, known as the Verse of Treachery against Trusts (Arabic: آية الخيانة في الأمانة), prohibits treachery against trusts and betrayal of God and Prophet Muhammad (s). Jurists have cited this verse to establish the prohibition of breaching trusts. The verse was revealed regarding the treachery of Abu Lubaba al-Ansari in failing to guard military secrets and revealing them during the Battle of Banu Qurayza.
Exegetes have interpreted the phrase "do not betray Allah and the Messenger" as disobeying God and His Messenger and neglecting Their commands and prohibitions. According to them, the sentence "and [do not] betray your trusts" refers to the necessity of humans being trustworthy regarding everything that God has made obligatory.
Introduction and Text
Qur'an 8:27 prohibits treachery against trusts[1] and emphasizes the correlation between trustworthiness and faith.[2] Based on the content of this verse, breaching a trust is classified as haram (forbidden), while upholding trusts is deemed obligatory.[3]
| “ | يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَخُونُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ وَتَخُونُوا أَمَانَاتِكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
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” |
| “ | O you who have faith! Do not betray Allah and the Apostle, and do not betray your trusts knowingly.
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| — Qur'an 8:27 | ||
Occasion of Revelation
In Majma' al-bayan, al-Tabrisi identifies the occasion of revelation for this verse as the treachery of Abu Lubaba al-Ansari, who disclosed military secrets during the Battle of Banu Qurayza. His betrayal was motivated by concern for his wife, children, and property, all of whom were located within that tribe.[4]
According to historical reports, when Muslims besieged the Jews of Banu Qurayza on the orders of Prophet Muhammad (s), the besieged tribe proposed a peace treaty. The Prophet (s) rejected this proposal and appointed Sa'd b. Mu'adh as the arbiter. Abu Lubaba, who was accompanying Sa'd and had prior ties of friendship with the Banu Qurayza, signaled to them that accepting Sa'd's arbitration would result in their execution. Gabriel informed the Prophet (s) of this betrayal. Upon realizing his error, Abu Lubaba was consumed with remorse; he bound himself to one of the pillars of the Prophet's Mosque, vowing to fast until God accepted his repentance. To demonstrate his sincerity, Abu Lubaba offered to leave his home and donate his entire wealth. The Prophet (s) advised him: "Giving one-third of your wealth as charity in the way of Allah is sufficient."[5] In Nur al-Thaqalayn, al-Huwayzi notes that this account has been narrated from Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a) and Imam al-Sadiq (a).[6]
Exegetical Points
Meaning of Treachery against God and the Messenger
In Tafsir al-Qummi, a narration from Imam al-Baqir (a) defines treachery against God and the Messenger (s) as disobedience.[7] Sayyid 'Abd Allah Shubbar, an Imami traditionist, interprets it as neglecting divine commands and prohibitions, as well as abandoning the lifestyle and Sunna of the Prophet (s).[8] 'Allama Tabataba'i views the dual injunctions—"do not betray Allah and the Messenger" and "betray your trusts"—as a unified prohibition addressing a shared form of treachery that affects God, the Messenger, and the believers. Examples include compromising political instructions or military secrets; disclosing such information violates the rights of God and His Messenger while simultaneously harming the community of believers.[9]
Meaning of Trusts
Ali b. Ibrahim al-Qummi and al-Huwayzi interpret "your trusts" (amanatikum) as referring to the obligations God has mandated and entrusted to every human being, such as Shari'a rulings and duties.[10] According to Nasir Makarim Shirazi, the concept of trusts extends beyond material possessions to encompass social, political, and ethical responsibilities.[11]
Jurisprudential Application
Citing Qur'an 8:27, jurists have classified treachery against trusts as haram[12] and have prescribed discretionary punishment (ta'zir) for perpetrators.[13] Some exegetes argue that the conjunction of the phrase "betray your trusts" with the preceding prohibition serves to reinforce the gravity of breaching trusts.[14]
Notes
- ↑ Mughniyya, al-Kāshif, 1424 AH, vol. 3, p. 396.
- ↑ Qummī Mashhadī, Kanz al-daqāʾiq, 1367 Sh, vol. 3, p. 434.
- ↑ Mudīr Shānih-chī, Āyāt al-aḥkām, 1393 Sh, vol. 2, p. 774.
- ↑ al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 4, p. 238.
- ↑ al-Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, 1415 AH, vol. 4, p. 455.
- ↑ al-Ḥuwayzī, Nūr al-Thaqalayn, 1415 AH, vol. 2, p. 143.
- ↑ al-Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 1404 AH, vol. 1, p. 272.
- ↑ Shubbar, Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm, 1427 AH, p. 180.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1390 Sh, vol. 9, p. 55.
- ↑ al-Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, 1404 AH, vol. 1, p. 272.
- ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, al-Amthal, 1379 Sh, vol. 5, p. 249.
- ↑ al-ʿAllāma al-Ḥillī, Tadhkirat al-fuqahāʾ, 1414 AH, vol. 12, p. 147.
- ↑ al-Shaykh al-Mufīd, al-Muqniʿa, 1410 AH, vol. 4, p. 804; al-Khūʾī, Mabānī takmilat al-minhāj, 1410 AH, vol. 1, p. 285.
- ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, 1390 AH, vol. 9, p. 54.
References
- Fakhr al-Rāzī, Muḥammad b. ʿUmar. al-Tafsīr al-kabīr. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1417 AH.
- Ibn ʿĀshūr, Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir. al-Taḥrīr wa al-tanwīr. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Tārīkh al-ʿArabī, 1420 AH.
- al-Ḥuwayzī, ʿAbd ʿAlī b. Jumuʿa. Tafsīr nūr al-thaqalayn. Qom: Isma'iliyan, 1415 AH.
- al-Khūʾī, Sayyid Abū al-Qāsim. Mabānī takmilat al-minhāj. Najaf: n.p, 1410 AH.
- Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. al-Amthal fī tafsīr kitāb Allāh al-munzal. Qom: Madrasat al-Imam Ali (a), 1379 Sh.
- Mudīr Shānih-chī, Kāẓim. Āyāt al-aḥkām. Tehran: Samt, 1393 Sh.
- al-Qummī, ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm. Tafsīr al-Qummī. Qom: Dār al-Kitāb, 1404 AH.
- Shubbar, Sayyid ʿAbd Allāh. Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Karīm. Kuwait: Sharikat Maktabat al-Alfayn, 1427 AH.
- al-Ṭabrisī, al-Faḍl b. al-Ḥasan. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifa, 1408 AH.
- Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut: Muʾassasat al-Aʿlamī, 1390 AH.
- al-Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan. al-Mabsūṭ fī fiqh al-Imāmiyya. Tehran: Maktaba Murtadawiyya, 1351 Sh.