Verily God commands you to restore trusts that is the rights entrusted to you by others back to their owners this was revealed when ‘Alī may God be pleased with him took the key of the Ka‘ba from its keeper ‘Uthmān b. Talha al-Hajabī by force upon the arrival of the Prophet s in Mecca in the year of the Conquest after he ‘Uthmān had tried to prevent him ‘Alī from taking it saying ‘If I had known that he was the Messenger of God I would not have prevented him’. The Messenger of God s then ordered him ‘Alī to give it back to him ‘Uthmān saying to him ‘Here you are it is yours now and always’. He ‘Uthmān was amazed by this whereupon ‘Alī recited to him this verse and he accepted Islam. Upon his death he ‘Uthmān gave it the key to his brother Shayba and thus it remained in the keep of his descendants. Although the verse was revealed regarding a specific occasion it holds true in general on account of the plural person to which it is addressed. And when you judge between people He commands that you judge with justice. Excellent is ni‘immā the mīm of ni‘ima has been assimilated with the indefinite particle mā which is the object described in other words na‘ima shay’an ‘an excellent thing is’ the admonition God gives you to restore a trust and to judge with justice. God is ever Hearer of what is said Seer of what is done.
