التَّأوِيلُ الإِسمَاعِيلِيُّ لِلأَمَانَات — الأَمَانَات: كَيفَ يُصبِحُ قَولُهُ تَعَالَى 'إِنَّا عَرَضنَا الأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرضِ وَالجِبَالِ' [33:72] رِوَايَةً قُرآنِيَّةً عَن قُدرَةِ الرُّوحِ الفَرِيدَةِ عَلَى تَلَقِّي تَأوِيلِ الإِمَامِ وَلِمَاذَا تَحمُّلُ الرُّوحِ لِلأَمَانَةِ أَعظَمُ كَرَامَاتِهَا وَأَكبَرُ مَسؤُولِيَّاتِهَا
In Ismaili ta'wil, al-Amanat (الأَمَانَات — The Trusts; *amana* from *a-m-n*: to be safe, trustworthy, faithful; 33:72 'Indeed, We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but the human being bore it — indeed, he was unjust and ignorant'; the foundational verse: the cosmos declined the Trust; only the human soul said yes; in zahir reading: commentators debate what the 'trust' is — some say: divine obligations [taklif]; others: free will; others: rational capacity; in Ismaili ta'wil: al-amana is specifically the ta'wil — the ability to receive, carry, and transmit the inner meaning of God's revelation; the heavens, earth, and mountains are unable to receive the batin — they operate entirely in the zahir world; only the human soul has the capacity for ta'wil; the human soul's bearing of the amana is simultaneously: [1] its greatest dignity [karama] — it is the soul's unique position in all of creation as the vessel capable of receiving the divine teaching; [2] its greatest responsibility — having received the amana, the soul is accountable for what it does with it; the 'unjust and ignorant' (zalum jahul): the verse describes the human as unjust and ignorant at the moment of accepting the trust; in ta'wil: these are descriptions of the soul's pre-ta'wil state — before receiving the Imam's teaching, the soul is in a state of injustice [out of cosmic position] and ignorance [without ta'wil]; the trust's content changes the soul: after receiving the ta'wil, the soul moves from zalum to adl [just] and from jahul to 'alim [knowing]; the Imam's role: the Imam is the one through whom the amana [ta'wil] is transmitted to the prepared soul in each age; without the Imam, the soul cannot access what it has theoretically agreed to carry) is the Quranic account of the soul's unique spiritual capacity.
The Cosmic Offer
33:72 presents a dramatic scene: before creation was complete, God offered the Trust (al-amana) to the cosmos — the heavens, the earth, and the mountains. Each declined. They “feared it.” Only the human being said yes.
The verse then adds a surprising judgment: “indeed, he was unjust and ignorant” (inna hu kana zaluman jahulan). The human said yes to a trust it was not yet prepared to fully honor.
The Amana as Ta’wil
In Ismaili ta’wil, what was offered is the specific capacity to receive divine ta’wil — the inner teaching of the Quran. The mountains and the earth cannot receive ta’wil because they have no capacity for the batin: they exist entirely in the zahir world, operating according to natural law, without the interior access to the divine teaching that the human soul uniquely possesses.
The human soul said yes to bearing this capacity — and in doing so, accepted a dignity and a responsibility simultaneously:
- Dignity: No other creation in the cosmos can receive what the human soul can receive from the Imam
- Responsibility: Having the capacity, the soul is accountable for using it
Unjust and Ignorant: The Pre-Ta’wil State
The description “unjust and ignorant” (zaluman jahulan) is not a condemnation — it is a description of the soul’s starting condition. At the moment of accepting the amana, the soul:
- Is zalum: out of its proper cosmic position, not yet oriented toward the Imam
- Is jahul: without the ta’wil — ignorant of the Quran’s inner meaning
The ta’wil transforms both: walayah with the Imam moves the soul from its misaligned position to its proper cosmic place (zalum → adl); the Imam’s teaching fills the soul’s capacity with actual knowledge (jahul → ‘alim).
See also: Ismaili Tawil Of Al Adl, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Khilafa, Bayah And Walayah, Ismaili Tawil Of Al Iman, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation