Allāh Almighty has commanded in the Qur’ān to safeguard amānah (trust) and has forbidden betrayal (khiyānah), describing it as a condemnable act. Those who betray trusts are not beloved to Allāh. In fact, in the ḥadīth, betrayal of trust is mentioned as a sign of hypocrisy, implying that treachery is not the trait of a true Muslim. The Noble Prophet ﷺ himself sought refuge from khiyānah in his supplications.
Below are a few Qur’ānic verses and noble aḥādīth concerning the importance of amānah and the condemnation of betrayal.
Allāh’s command to safeguard trusts
Allāh Almighty says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَنْ تُؤَدُّوا الْأَمَانَاتِ إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهَا ۖ وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَنْ تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ ۚ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ نِعِمَّا يَعِظُكُمْ بِهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا
Indeed, Allāh commands you to deliver the trusts to those entitled to them, and when you judge between people, to judge with justice. Excellent indeed is what Allāh instructs you with; surely Allāh is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.(Sūrat al-Nisāʾ: 58)
In another place, Allāh says:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَخُونُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ وَتَخُونُوا أَمَانَاتِكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
O believers! Do not betray Allāh and the Messenger, nor betray your trusts knowingly. (Sūrat al-Anfāl: 27)
In Sūrat al-Muʾminūn, Allāh lists the qualities of the successful:
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِأَمَانَاتِهِمْ وَعَهْدِهِمْ رَاعُونَ
And those who are faithful to their trusts and their promises.(Sūrat al-Muʾminūn: 8)
And regarding those who commit betrayal, Allāh warns:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ خَوَّانٍ كَفُورٍ
Indeed, Allāh does not love any treacherous ingrate.(Sūrat al-Ḥajj: 38)
And elsewhere He says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْخَائِنِينَ
Surely Allāh does not love the treacherous.(Sūrat al-Anfāl: 58)
Aḥādīth Concerning Trust and Betrayal
Many noble aḥādīth emphasize the virtue of amānah and the grave warning against khiyānah. A few are presented below:
Ḥadīth 1
Sayidunā Anas ʳᵃ narrated:
The Prophet of Allāh ﷺ never addressed us except that he said: “He has no faith who has no trustworthiness, and he has no religion who does not keep his promise.”(Musnad Aḥmad 19/376)
Ḥadīth 2
Sayidunā Abū Hurayrah ʳᵃ narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks it; and when entrusted, he betrays the trust.(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī #33)
Ḥadīth 3
Sayidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ʳᵃ narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
There are four traits; whoever possesses all of them is a pure hypocrite, and whoever has one of them has a characteristic of hypocrisy until he abandons it: when entrusted, he betrays; when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a pact, he breaks it; and when he disputes, he behaves outrageously.(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 1/22)
Ḥadīth 4
Sayidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ʳᵃ narrated:
If you possess four qualities, then it will not harm you whatever of the world you miss: safeguarding trust, truthfulness in speech, good character, and purity in earning.(Musnad Aḥmad; Shuʿab al-Īmān; Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ 3/132)
Ḥadīth 5
Sayidunā ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit ʳᵃ narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
Guarantee me six things from yourselves, and I will guarantee you Paradise: speak the truth when you talk; fulfill your promises; return the trust when entrusted; guard your chastity; lower your gaze; and restrain your hands from harm.(Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ 3/132)
Ḥadīth 6
Sayidunā Abū Hurayrah ʳᵃ narrated:
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ used to supplicate: “O Allāh! I seek refuge in You from hunger, for it is an evil companion; and I seek refuge in You from betrayal, for it is an evil inner trait.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1/567)
Ḥadīth 7
Sayidunā ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn ʳᵃ narrated:
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “The best of my Ummah are those of my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them.” (The narrator says: I am not sure if he mentioned the third or not.) “Then there will come a people who will bear witness without being asked to testify, who will make vows but not fulfill them, who will betray while not being trusted, and obesity will spread among them.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4/346)
From the aforementioned Qur’ānic verses and ḥadīths, we clearly learn both the great virtue of amānah (trustworthiness) and the severe condemnation of khiyānah (betrayal). Every Muslim man and woman must therefore scrupulously avoid every form of treachery and dishonesty in all trusts placed upon them.
Common Forms of Betrayal in Our Society
In our common understanding, the word amānah is usually limited to tangible items—money, goods, or property entrusted for safekeeping. Undoubtedly, this is one form of amānah; however, in Sharīʿah, the concept is far broader. It encompasses many other dimensions that people rarely recognize as trusts, and failure to fulfill them constitutes khiyānah (betrayal), even though one may not realize it. Below are some prevalent forms of khiyānah to help us become conscious of them and strive to protect ourselves.
1. Misusing the Life and Body Entrusted by Allāh
Our very existence—our life, body, and faculties—are all amānāt entrusted to us by Allāh Almighty. We are not their absolute owners, free to use them however we wish. Rather, Allāh has loaned them to us as instruments to be used only in ways He has permitted. To misuse them is to betray the trust.
Thus, using the eyes to gaze at what is unlawful, the ears to listen to music or sinful speech, the tongue to lie, backbite, or hurt others—all of these are forms of khiyānah. The trust of life demands that every faculty be employed only in obedience to Allāh and in fulfilling His commands. Any diversion of these faculties toward disobedience is a violation of amānah.
2. Failing to Return Borrowed or Lent Items
At times, we borrow something temporarily for a legitimate need—such as a book, a tool, or an item of daily use—intending to return it later. In fiqh, this is known as ʿāriyah (a loan for use). The borrowed item remains an amānah in the borrower’s possession, requiring that it be used only for the purpose permitted by its owner and returned promptly once the need ends.
Negligence in returning such items after use is a breach of amānah. Many people borrow books or objects and forget—or neglect—to return them, assuming it trivial. In reality, this negligence amounts to khiyānah and demands repentance and restitution.
3. Using Another Person’s Utensils for Personal Use
It is customary in many homes that people send food to their neighbours in their own utensils. Clearly, the food is sent as a hadīyah (gift), but the utensils themselves are not part of that gift — they remain the property and amānah of the sender. Hence, the obligation of amānah demands that such utensils be returned as soon as possible.
However, many people neglect this duty and leave those dishes lying in their homes without any concern for returning them. Worse still, some even begin to use those utensils for their own personal needs without the owner’s permission. Such conduct — using the vessels without consent and delaying their return — is a form of khiyānah (betrayal of trust).
4. Misusing Working Hours
Similarly, when an employee accepts a job and agrees to serve his employer or company for a specified number of hours, it means he has sold that portion of his time in exchange for a salary. Thus, those hours belong to the employer and are a trust (amānah) with the employee.
To spend that time on personal work, unrelated to the employer’s business, without permission — while still taking full payment — is khiyānah. The employee is religiously bound to utilize the agreed hours solely for tasks authorized by the employer, and any deviation from this constitutes dishonesty and breach of amānah.
5. Inheriting Wealth Kept under One Heir’s Possession
When a person passes away, his estate (tarikah) often remains undivided for some time. In such cases, certain heirs may keep portions of the estate under their control, or sometimes one or a few heirs may retain the entire inheritance, using it as they wish without the consent of the others.
Sharīʿah, however, dictates that each heir’s share is strictly defined, and whatever remains beyond that belongs to the others as an amānah that must be returned to them. Using or withholding it without permission is khiyānah.
The sin becomes even graver if the other heirs include minors, because the permission of a minor, even if given, carries no legal validity in Sharīʿah. Thus, retaining or using such property amounts to usurping the rights of the vulnerable.
6. A Wife’s Betrayal in Her Husband’s Wealth
Just as a wife must safeguard her husband’s honour and chastity, she must equally safeguard his wealth. Her husband’s property in her possession is an amānah, and she may not spend from it without his permission.
Whatever portion or category of expenditure he allows, she must abide by that limit. To spend in excess of his consent, or in areas he has not permitted, is khiyānah and strictly impermissible.
7. Purchasing Cheap Goods and Claiming Higher Payment
Some individuals are appointed by their company or institution to make purchases on its behalf. Such representatives may buy goods at a lower price — say for nine hundred rupees — but submit a receipt for one thousand, pocketing the difference as secret commission.
This, despite the fact that they already draw a salary for their service, is blatant khiyānah (betrayal) and ghulūl (embezzlement). Such behaviour is impermissible and sinful, for it amounts to cheating the employer’s trust and misappropriating his wealth.
8. Selling Company Goods at a Discount to Acquaintances
In some cases, employees sell company products at less than the actual price — or even give them free — to their friends or relatives. Since the employee is not the owner of these goods but merely their custodian, such actions fall under khiyānah.
The merchandise entrusted to him is the company’s property, and disposing of it without authorization is a violation of that trust.
9. Using Office Supplies for Personal Benefit
All office supplies — stationery, equipment, and materials provided to an employee for work — are amānāt given specifically for official use. Using them at home or for personal tasks without the employer’s approval constitutes khiyānah.
Such seemingly minor misuses — like taking pens, paper, or company devices for private work — are not trivial in Sharīʿah; they breach the sanctity of trust and must be avoided.
10. Disclosing Private Conversations
When two or more people hold a private discussion in a meeting, those conversations are a form of amānah between them. As the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Conversations in a gathering are a trust.” (Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī #1959; Musnad Aḥmad 3/413)
Therefore, conveying such confidential discussions to others without permission is also a kind of khiyānah and must be strictly avoided.
Conclusion
These are but a few examples of khiyānah (betrayal) that have unfortunately become common in our society. Every believer must remain vigilant against them, for amānah is among the greatest moral obligations in Islam. May Allāh Almighty grant us the tawfīq to fulfil our trusts faithfully and protect us from every form of khiyānah. Āmīn.
taken from
Mahnama al-Balāgh, Ṣafar al-Muẓaffar, 1440 H / 2019 CE.
Muftī ʿAbd al-Raʾūf Sakhrawī