وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ وَلَمْ تَجِدُوا كَاتِبًا فَرِهَانٌ مَقْبُوضَةٌ فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا فَلْيُؤَدِّ الَّذِي اؤْتُمِنَ أَمَانَتَهُ وَلْيَتَّقِ اللَّهَ رَبَّهُ وَلَا تَكْتُمُوا الشَّهَادَةَ وَمَنْ يَكْتُمْهَا فَإِنَّهُ آثِمٌ قَلْبُهُ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ ﴿۲۸۳﴾ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِنْ تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُمْ بِهِ اللَّهُ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿۲۸۴﴾
﴾283﴿ Wa in kuntum 'alaa safarinw wa lam tajidoo kaatiban farihaanum maqboodatun fa in amina ba'dukum ba'dan falyu'addil lazi tumina amaa natahoo walyattaqil laaha Rabbah; wa laa taktumush shahaadah; wa mai yaktumhaa fa innahooo aasimun qalbuh; wallaahu bimaa ta'maloona 'Aleem
﴾284﴿ Lillaahi maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ard; wa in tubdoo maa feee anfusikum aw tukhfoohu yuhaasibkum bihil laa; fayaghfiru li mai yashaaa'u wa yu'azzibu mai yashaaa'u;wallaahu 'alaa kulli shai in qadeer
﴾283﴿ And if you are on a journey and do not find a scribe, then a pledge taken in hand is acceptable.
But if one of you entrusts another, then let the one who is entrusted fulfill his trust and fear Allah, his Lord.
And do not conceal testimony, for whoever conceals it—his heart is surely sinful, and Allah is Knowing of what you do.
﴾284﴿ It is solely under the authority of Allah whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. And whether you reveal what is in your hearts or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. Then He will forgive whom He wills and punish whom He wills, and Allah is capable of all things.
[283] This verse is also connected to the one before it.
The condition of being on a journey and not finding a scribe is mentioned due to necessity.
It is established from a hadith that in Madinah, the Messenger (May Allah bless him and give him peace) left his armor with a Jew as a pledge for three measures of barley.
Regarding a pledged item, it is agreed upon in all schools of thought that it is not permissible to derive benefit from it, as that would be usury—except Imam Ahmad who differed only in the case of livestock.
“His heart is sinful (آثِمٌ قَلْبُهُ)” – the heart is mentioned because the sin of concealing testimony originates internally, so the heart is the place of guilt.
“If one of you trusts another (فَإِنْ أَمِنَ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا)” – this means, due to mutual trust and confidence, they do not require documentation or a pledge.
[284] From this verse until the end of the fourth section, the four main themes of this surah are repeated: monotheism (tawheed), prophethood (risalah), striving in the way of Allah (jihad), and spending in the cause of Allah (infaq fi sabilillah), concluding with a supplication.
“To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens” – this refutes associating partners with Allah in His control over creation. The phrase “what is within yourselves” refers to the beliefs and thoughts that are intentionally held in the heart – as confirmed by the last verse. In this verse, the claim of monotheism is emphasized for the fourth time, asserting that the One who governs the entire universe and knows the unseen is Allah alone, so dedicate your worship solely to Him.