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Chapter 287
ﺎﺑﺮﻟا ﻢﻳﺮﺤﺗ ﻆﻴﻠﻐﺗ
Prohibition of taking Ar-Riba (The Usury)
Allah, the Exalted, says:
"
Those who eat Ar-Riba (the usury) will not stand (on the Day of Resurrection) except like the standing of a
person beaten by Shaitan (Satan) leading him to insanity. That is because they say: `Trading is only like Ar-
Riba, whereas Allah has permitted trading and forbidden Ar-Riba. So whosoever receives an admonition
from his Rubb and stops eating Ar-Riba, shall not be punished for the past; his case is for Allah (to judge);
but whoever returns (to Ar-Riba), such are the dwellers of the Fire - they will abide therein. Allah will
destroy Ar-Riba and will give increase for Sadaqat (deeds of charity, alms). And Allah likes not the
disbelievers, sinners. Truly, those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-
As-Salat), and give Zakat, they will have their reward with their Rubb. On them shall be no fear, nor shall
they grieve. O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah and give up what remains (due to you) from Ar-Riba (from
now onward)
.'' (2:275-279)
Ahadith on the subject are many, including Hadith No. 1615.
1615
َلﺎَﻗ ُﻪْﻨَﻋ ﻪﱠﻠﻟا ﻲﺿر ٍدﻮﻌْﺴَﻣ ِﻦﺑا ﻦَﻋَو
:
»
ُﻪﻠِآﻮﻣو َﺎﺑﱢﺮﻟا َﻞِآﺁ ﻢﱠﻠَﺳو ِﻪْﻴَﻠَﻋ ُﷲا ﻰّﻠَﺻ ِﻪﱠﻠﻟا ُلﻮُﺳر َﻦَﻌَﻟ
«
ﻢﻠﺴﻣ ﻩاور
.
ﻩﺮﻴﻏو يﺬﻣﺮﺘﻟا داز
:
»
ُﻪَﺒﺗﺎَآَو ، ﻪﻳﺪهﺎَﺷَو
«
.
1615.
`Abdullah bin Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) cursed the
one who accepts Ar-Riba (the usury) and the one who pays it.
[Muslim].
The narration in At-Tirmidhi adds: And the one who records it, and the two persons who stand witness to it.
Commentary:
Both the parties, that is the one who charges interest and the one who pays it, are equally guilty in
the matter of usury (
or Riba
). This Hadith highlights the intensity of unlawfulness of Ar-Riba, or what has come to
be called nowadays interest which can be judged from the fact that not only the person who charges it and the one
who pays it are cursed but even those who write the documents and bear witness to the transaction are condemned
although the latter two have no active part in the deal. They have been condemned for their mere co-operation in the
matter of interest. Thus, we learn that even co-operation in the deal in which interest is involved is an invitation to
the Curse and Wrath of Allah. The reason for such severity in the matter of interest is that Islam wants to create a
society which is founded on fraternity, sympathy, selflessness and sacrifice. If someone is in need of money, the rich
should fulfill his needs for the sake of Allah's Pleasure or give him a loan without interest. As against the Islamic
system, this system of interest is based on selfishness, exploitation and suppression. In the interest-ridden societies,
the affluent ones are not inclined to co-operate with the needy for the sake of Allah. All they are concerned with is
their own interest. Their lust and greed are not reduced in the slightest measure even after draining the last drop of
the blood of the poor. This is the reason why Shari`ah has forbidden interest of every kind and regarded it unlawful,
no matter whether the loan is for the personal need or commercial requirements.
Some people say that there did not exist any practice of commercial loan in Arabia at that time and people used to
borrow money for their personal needs only. On the basis of this plea, they say that the interest which has been
forbidden by Islam relates to the latter form. For this reason, they hold that interest lawful which is charged on loan
taken for industry and commerce. They contend that since the borrowers in industrial and commercial sectors make
huge profits from such loans, how does it become unlawful if they pay the lender a small fixed annual amount
against it? In their opinion, it is a right of the lender which should be paid to him on his wealth. But such arguments
are totally wrong for two major reasons:
First, the assumption that there was no practice of commercial loans in Arabia is altogether baseless. Commercial
loan was certainly in vogue in the Arab society and there is no point in debating this fact.
Second, nobody can say with certainty that the amount invested by a person in business will yield profit without fail
because we see it every day that sometimes huge investments made in business and industry result in colossal loss,
but the lending agency does not bother about it at all and it recovers from the borrower every penny of his loan and
interest. Is this not the height of tyranny and selfishness? If it is supposed that there is no loss, even then the interest
on loan substantially contributes to the increase in prices of goods. Whatever interest an industrialist pays on loan is
added to the cost of his goods, which ultimately increases their prices and in turn adversely affects the purchasing
capacity of the customers - the masses. This is the reason why Islam has closed this largest source of exploitation,
suppression and tyranny by declaring every kind of interest unlawful.
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