Surah al-Ahzab (The Confederates) 33 : 72

Overview (Verses 72 - 73)

Man’s Weakness
 
In this act of grace, God considers man’s weakness, the great burden he shoulders and the trust he has been bearing alone when the heavens, the earth and the mountains refused, fearing that they could not cope with its requirements. Yet man is not only weak; he suffers from pressures created by his desires and inclinations, lack of knowledge, short life span as also barriers of time and place. All this makes him lacking in proper knowledge, unable to see what is beyond barriers or to look far ahead:
 
We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and were afraid to receive it. Yet man took it up. He has always been prone to be wicked, foolish. (Verse 72)
 
The heavens, the earth and the mountains, great and magnificent beings as they are, are chosen for discussion by the Qur’ān. Compared to these, man who lives in or beside them appears small and insignificant. These creatures, however, know their Lord without having o make an effort. They follow His law by their very nature and the system applicable to them, without need for an intermediary, reflection or choice. They run their respective courses without fail, fulfilling their tasks by virtue of their nature and constitution. The sun moves in its orbit in absolute accuracy, sending its rays and thus fulfilling the role God has assigned to it. It unconsciously holds its satellite planets and other celestial bodies in a set measure of gravity, thus fulfilling its role in the universe. The earth also runs its cycle, yielding its plants and feeding its population, burying the dead and sending up its water in springs, all in accordance with God’s law, and without having to make a choice. The moon, stars, planets, the wind, the clouds, air and water, mountains and valleys — all fulfil their functions, by their Lord’s leave. They know their Lord and are subject o His will without having to make an effort. What is this trust which they all dreaded to receive? It is the trust of responsibility, will power, personal knowledge and choice.
 
“Yet man took it up.” (Verse 72) Man took it up because he is able to know God through his faculties and feelings. He can recognize God’s law by reflection and consideration, and apply this law by his endeavour, obeying God willingly and by choice, resisting desires that lead to deviation and disobedience. In every step along this way man is acting by his own will, using his own knowledge, choosing his way fully aware of the end to which it leads.
 
It is a huge burden that this small creature, with little power and a short life, and with pressurizing desires and inclinations, has undertaken. In so doing, he runs great risks. Hence, man is ‘prone to be wicked,’ putting himself in the wrong, and ‘foolish,’ not knowing his ability. This is true in relation to the great responsibility he has shouldered. However, when he fulfils this trust, acquires the knowledge leading him o his Lord, knows His law and obeys Him fully, he becomes equipped with the knowledge, the guidance and the obedience which bring him to the level of ease and perfection enjoyed by creatures like the heavens, earth and mountains, which obey God and follow His law naturally and directly. When man attains this level, while aware, conscious and exercising free choice, he attains a noble standard and is given a unique position among God’s creation.
 
The acquisition of knowledge, the ability to choose and the willingness o be accountable constitute the quality that distinguishes man among God’s creatures. This is the quality that earns man his position of honour, declared by God o those on high as He ordered the angels to prostrate themselves before Adam. In addition, He announced this honour in His revealed book, the Qur’ān: “We have indeed honoured the children of Adam.” (17: 70) It behoves man to know why he has been honoured and to live up o the trust he has accepted, while stronger creatures refused it dreading the responsibility.
 
All this has a definite purpose:
 
So it is that God will punish the hypocrites, men and women, as well as the men and women who associate partners with Him; and He will turn in mercy to the believers, both men and women. God is Much-Forgiving, Merciful. (Verse 73)
 
For man to take the trust upon himself means that he has o accept the consequences of his choice, and to make his reward dependent on action. This means that punishment is earned by the hypocrites and the unbelievers, while the believers are given help, which ensures that God forgives them their errors which they are bound to make, considering their weakness, the pressures on them and the barriers standing in their way. This help comes by an act of divine grace, for God is always Much-Forgiving, Merciful.
 
On this powerful note ends the sūrah that began with a directive to the Prophet to obey God, not yield to the unbelievers and the hypocrites, follow God’s revelations and place his trust in God alone. The sūrah also included numerous directives and pieces of legislation for the Muslim community. This powerful and final note describes man’s huge responsibility and great trust, indicating what makes it so heavy. With this conclusion, the beginning and end of the sūrah are in full harmony with its subject matter. This, in itself, is evidence pointing to the Author of the Qur’ān.