Accordingly, fighting the non-Arabs is one of the signs of the Hour.
12 — The Loss of Trust (1)
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When trust is lost, await the Hour.” He was asked, “How will it be lost, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “When authority is entrusted to those unfit for it, await the Hour.” (2)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained how trust would be removed from people’s hearts, leaving behind nothing but its trace.
Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told us of two matters. I have witnessed one of them, and I am awaiting the other. He told us that trust descended into the very roots (3) of the hearts of
(1) *Al-amānah* (trust) is the opposite of betrayal. It is mentioned in the Noble Quran in the words of the Exalted: “Indeed, We offered the Trust to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and feared it; yet man bore it. Indeed, he has always been unjust and ignorant.” (72) [al-Ahzāb 33:72].
Scholars have expressed several views concerning its meaning, which fall under two headings:
a. *Tawhīd* (monotheism): it is a trust borne by the servant and concealed within the heart.
b. Deeds: this includes every aspect of the Sharia, all of which are trusts borne by the servant.
Thus, *al-amānah* is *taklīf* (religious responsibility): accepting the commands and refraining from what is prohibited.
See Ibn al-'Arabī, *Ahkām al-Qur'ān*, vol. 3, pp. 1588–1589, ed. 'Alī Muhammad al-Bajāwī; al-Nawawī, *Commentary on Sahīh Muslim*, vol. 2, p. 168; *Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr*, vol. 6, p. 477; and *Fath al-Bārī*, vol. 11, p. 333.
(2) *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, Book of Heart-Softening Narrations, chapter “The Removal of Trust,” vol. 11, p. 333 (with *Fath al-Bārī*).
(3) *Jadhar* (root): the origin of anything. See *al-Nihāyah fī Gharīb al-Hadīth*, vol. 1, p. 250.