format_quote Originally Posted by
Masuma
Quran Chapter 33 Verse 72
"Indeed, we offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant."
Now below it explains another reason why man did that to himself, i.e accept the responsibility. But I'm wondering about something else.
1. Since all the creations refused to take up the trust of being bestowed with this free will and, thus, to take the test of the life of this world, for they were scared of the consequences of failure with the only exception of man. So does this other "creation" have understanding and thinking too? The creation talked about here are the heavens and earth and mountains. How did rocks knew it and we humans didn't?!
Jazak Allah khayr for starting this thread.
In simple terms the 'Declining of the Heavens and the Earth' symbolizes their inability to be able to fulfill this Trust (Amaana) and carry it because the incapacity and incapability of their nature and mankind's 'Bearing it' symbolizes his potential to carry this Trust (Amaana) and his/her ability to fulfill the Trust.
Since their being 'Scared' as you put it, we would not understand it as literally rather we would again understand it as their nature not being fit to take this task but mankind's nature is. So its not as if mankind wasn't asked about it and just took it up without thinking and other creation was asked and refused.
Even though other creation does think and have feelings but not at the level of our, we have intellect and the capacity to advance and develop while they don't, but they do hear understand and have feelings.
There are several traditions that mention other creations have emotions and feelings.
The Prophet used to stand by a tree or a date-palm on Friday. Then an Ansari woman or man said. "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we make a pulpit for you?" He replied, "If you wish." So they made a pulpit for him and when it was Friday, he proceeded towards the pulpit (for delivering the sermon). The date-palm cried like a child! The Prophet descended (the pulpit) and embraced it while it continued moaning like a child being quietened. The Prophet said, "It was crying for (missing) what it used to hear of religious knowledge given near to it." (Bukhari)
It is for this reason why Allah (swt) has said in
Surah Yasin Verse 67
And had it been our Will (that they should not be free to choose between right and wrong), We could surely have given them a different nature (and created them as beings rooted) in their places, so that they would not be able to move forward, and could not turn back. (Muhammad Asad)
He (swt) could've rooted us like a tree and or given us a different nature which would make us incapable of making choices and to be able to make use of our free will which would then deprive us of the Blessing to advance and become even higher than Angels or if we did make a wrong choice unable to repent.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Masuma
Man accepted the trust to gain the pleasures of the life hereafter and was so attracted to these pleasures that he completely ignored the consequences and the severity of the punishment in case of his failure. How can all of us, humans be so foolish? I mean there are intelligent people too amongst us. Of course someone choose it and made their decision right like Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), but what about the majority of us?
As what I have understood and expressed above regarding the Topic of Trust, I don't think mankind 'Accepted' in order to earn the pleasures of the hereafter, for if he really did come in to this world by choice, babies wouldn't be crying after being born and entering this world.