Did the Prophet Adam or all mankind undertake the trust?

Tafsir of Verse 72 of the Chapter of al-Ahzab
In verse 72 of Surah Ahzab:
1. If it was the Prophet Adam who undertook the responsibility of carrying the trust, how come it is the fault of other people/human beings; they did not choose to carry the trust; only the Prophet Adam did it on behalf of all people.
2. And if the verse mentions Adam, why does it state that most of the people are cruel and ignorant; they did not undertake the responsibility of carrying the trust. Adam (pbuh) carried it on their behalf.
3. While some tafsir scholars state that all humanity was asked and that they all undertook the responsibility of carrying the trust, others state that only Adam (pbuh) was asked. How do I know which interpretation to believe?
- Please answer all three questions to clear my confusion.

Dear Brother / Sister,

The meaning of the relevant verse is as follows:

“We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish.” (al-Ahzab, 33/72)

Answer 1:

Many interpretations have been made about the trust in this verse. According to some, this trust is the obligations of man called “afal al-mukallafin”. According to some, it is kalima at-tawhid. According to others, they are the organs of human beings such as eyes, ears, hands and feet, and genital organs. (see Razi, the interpretation of the verse in question)

According to the majority of scholars, the trust mentioned in the verse is all orders and prohibitions related to human beings. (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Maraghi, the interpretation of the verse in question)

The evidence of those who say that what is meant by man mentioned in the verse is the Prophet Adam is the following hadith:

According to the narration attributed to Ibn Abbas, the Prophet (pbuh) said:

“When Allah asked Adam, ‘O Adam! I offered the trust to the heavens and the earth, but they could not accept it. Can you undertake this trust?’ When Adam asked, ‘O Lord! What is the result of undertaking it?’, Allah said, ‘If you carry this trust properly, you will get its price. If you lose it, you will be punished.’ And Adam undertook it. However, after he stayed in Paradise for the amount of time between the first prayer (fajr/morning prayer) and the afternoon prayer, Satan drove him out of Paradise.” (see Qurtubi, the interpretation of the verse in question).

Answer 2:

There is no phrase in the verse stating that “most people are cruel and ignorant”. On the contrary, the word “man” is used as a general term. In such absolute statements, it is necessary to find a meaning suitable for the position of the addressee.

As Adam is the father of all humans, he represents them all as a symbol. Therefore, the cruel and ignorant ones here are humans. The addressees are all humans, and those who have these two bad qualities are some people among humans.

Moreover, according to some scholars, what is meant by the term “man” in the verse is not the Prophet Adam, but the human species, to which he belongs. There are moderate people among them as well as ignorant ones because they do not know the weight/responsibility of the trust, and cruel ones because they ignore the trust. (See Ibn Ashur, the interpretation of the verse in question)

Answer 3:

In our opinion, those who attribute the concept of man to Adam implicitly mean all the human species he represents.

However, according to investigative scholars, the word “man” in the verse has to be related to the human species because the following is stated in the verse coming immediately after the verse in question:

“(With the result) that Allah has to punish the Hypocrites, men and women, and the Unbelievers, men and women, and Allah turns in Mercy to the Believers, men and women: for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (al-Ahzab, 33/73)

Since the nature of different people such as polytheists, hypocrites and believers are emphasized in the verse, it becomes necessary for the word “man” to be used in the sense of “human species”, which is used with the definite article al (the) indicating a common noun. (see Ibn Ashur, the interpretation of the verse in question)

For more information, please click on the links given below;

Why did Allah give the trust to man, who is cruel and ignorant, though He says “Allah doth command you to render back your Trusts to those to whom they are due”?

What is the meaning of the trust mentioned in verses of 72 of the chapter of al-Ahzab?

According to verse 72 of the chapter of al-Ahzab, are cruelty and ignorance inherent in human nature?

How should we understand the verse “We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains...”?

Questions on Islam