The Deceptive Mirage
Since 2012-11-25
Allah Almighty has said: {But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest.}. [Al-Baqarah 2:275]
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
All Praise due to Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and companions.
At this era, so many Muslims turned their back on the hereafter and approach worldly affairs till it possessed their hearts and minds; raising money through any way has become their biggest concern and the extent of their knowledge. What is permissible to some of them is what is put into their hands and pockets, even if it is begotten by illicit means, and what is illicit for them is what is hard for them to grasp. This indicates the lack of fear of Allah Almighty in their hearts and their turning away from the religion of Allah. From these forbidden gains, which are, being indulgently accepted by many people is usury. That illicit money which, if eaten by any Muslim who deems it permissible, this man will be considered rejecting Islam. We seek refuge in Allah, as it is necessarily known from our religion that usury is prohibited; Allah Almighty has said: {But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest.}. [Al-Baqarah 2:275]
{...وَأَحَلَّ اللّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا...}
البقرة: 275
Transliteration: waahalla Allahu albayAAa waharrama alrriba
Allah and His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, have not declared war against those who do sins, as they have declared it against those who take in usury. Allah Almighty has said: {And if you do not do it, then take a notice of war from Allâh and His Messenger} [Al-Baqarah 2:279]
{فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ فَأْذَنُواْ بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ...}
البقرة: 279
Transliteration: Fain lam tafAAaloo fathanoo biharbin mina Allahi warasoolihi
In addition, Allah has said about those who know the ruling on usury and then return to taking it in, He has said: {But whoever returns to [dealing in interest or usury] - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.} [Al-Baqarah 2:275]
{...وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ}
البقرة: 275
Transliteration: waman AAada faolaika ashabu alnnari hum feeha khalidoona
The Prophet, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, has revealed the truth about usury, he has shown its heinousness and ugliness in a way that deters every believer in Allah and the Hereafter from approaching it, let alone dealing with it. The Messenger of Allah, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, has said: "usury is seventy-two degrees, its lowest degree is that such as the sexual intercourse between a man and his own mother" [Al-Albani]
«الربا اثنان وسبعون بابا ، أدناها مثل إتيان الرجل أمه ..»
الألباني
Is there anything uglier than this! Moreover, is there anything more restraining than this to rebuke those who have faith and insight! However, the reprehensibility and ungodliness of usury has surpassed all kinds of adultery through the corruption of both the religion and the worldly life; with the high treachery for the husband and parents of the woman with whom adultery has been committed. This will lead to the corruption of morals and the alleviation of modesty and the confusion of lineages. The ordained punishments for adultery are stoning or flogging with banishment, and the punishment of the adulterers is that their bodies burned in a fire-kindled oven; in spite of all this, usury is more forbidden and greater in sin no matter how little its amount is. The Prophet, Prayer and Peace of Allah be upon him, has said: "a Dirham (a cheap unit of currency) of riba (usury) consumed by a man and he is aware of it, is harder to Allah than thirty-six adulteries in Islam" [Authenticated by Al-Albani]
«درهم ربا يأكله الرجل وهو يعلم ؛ أشد من ستة وثلاثين زنية»
صحيح الألباني
If this is the ruling of one Dirham, then how about those who eat thousands of millions!!!
Usury is a malignant and ill gotten gaining in which there is no good or blessing. Moreover, it brings forth harm and deficiency in the religion and this worldly life, in the present and the future to all those who participate or assist in dealing with it; or become satisfied with any aspect of participation in it whether by taking or giving, writing it or witnessing to it or subsidizing with its money. Usury also harms those who protect its people, or stand up for them; or intercede for or publicize for them; those who defend or protect usurers or consent to what they are doing in any way of support and assistance to the people of this invalid and unfair financial operations. The truth about these operations is fighting and antagonizing Allah and His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, and bringing grave injustice to His servants. There is no doubt that its consequences are severe and painful to the individual and to the society, the society which recognizes this evil and does not deny it nor seek to change it, the harm is indisputable, it is happening sooner or later, for example:
1 – Allah will not accept charity from usury devourers because their earnings are foul, Allah Almighty has said: {and do not aim at that which is bad to spend from it,} [Al-Baqarah 2:267]
{...وَلاَ تَيَمَّمُواْ الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنفِقُونَ...}
البقرة: 267
Transliteration: wala tayammamoo alkhabeetha minhu tunfiqoona
And the Prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, has said: "Allah is taiyyib (good) and He does not accept but only that which is taiyyib (good)" [Narrated by Muslim]
«إن الله طيب لايقبل إلا طيباً..»
رواه مسلم
2 – Allah will turn down and reject the invocations of a usury devourer, the Prophet, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, has said: "make sure that your living is from good (permissible) resources if you want your invocations to be granted" [Narrated by At-Tabarany]
«أطب مطعمك تكن مستجاب الدعوة...»
رواه الطبراني
3 – Allah will take away the blessings of life and of gaining, the Almighty has said: {Allah destroys interest and gives increase for charities…} [Al-Baqarah 2:276]
{يَمْحَقُ اللّهُ الْرِّبَا وَيُرْبِي الصَّدَقَاتِ…}
البقرة: 276
Transliteration: Yamhaqu Allahu alrriba wayurbee alssadaqati…
This holy verse warns against the foreshadowing misfortune and consequences of usury. Reality is also a witness to this fact: how many people are there dealing with usury and who have plenty of money, but there are neither blessings nor benefits in this abundant money.
4 – Devouring usury brings about war from Allah and His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, and it is enough of a threat to the person and to the society in all of their affairs. Who would stand up against a war from Allah and His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him; whether physically or with his wealth and tribe and all his might and power! Allah the Almighty has threatened usury devourers saying: {And if you do not do it, then take a notice of war from Allâh and His Messenger} [Al-Baqarah 2:279]
{فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ فَأْذَنُواْ بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ...}
البقرة: 279
Transliteration: Fain lam tafAAaloo fathanoo biharbin mina Allahi warasoolihi
5 – Devouring usury brings about the curse of Allah and His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him. A curse is the expulsion and deportation of anything that leads to the mercy of Allah for everyone who gets involved in usury in any way. As it was narrated by Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him: "The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, cursed the one who accept usury, the one who paid it, its clerk, and the two witnesses to it, and he has said: they are all the same (in the degree of the curse)" [Narrated by Muslim]
«لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا ومؤكله وكاتبه وشاهديه وقال هم سواء»
رواه مسلم
6 – Devouring usury brings about the causes of the bad end of a Muslim's life, because sins, including usury, take away faith from sinners, a usurer is afflicted by it when dying, he meets his Lord as a disobedient usurer to Allah and His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, he meets his Lord opposing Him and being unjust to His slaves, so he departs this world and dies in the worst state overturning to the worst outcome.
7 – Usury devourer, as narrated in the Hadith is tortured in his grave by swimming in a river of blood, whenever he wanted to come out, another man standing on the river bank threw a stone in his mouth and caused him to retreat to his original position; and so whenever he wanted to come out the other would throw a stone in his mouth, and he would retreat to his original position. On the Day of Resurrection, he will resurrect from grave such as madmen who are beaten by the Devil. Allah the Almighty has said: {Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity.} [Al-Baqarah 2:275]
{الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لاَ يَقُومُونَ إِلاَّ كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ...}
البقرة: 275
Transliteration: Allatheena yakuloona alrriba la yaqoomoona illa kama yaqoomu allathee yatakhabbatuhu alshshaytanu mina almassi
This means that they get out from the graves in the form of insane men, probably because of the bad state they are in and because of the desolation in their graves, and what they had suffered from the punishment after their death: all for devouring usury.
8 – Whoever dies dealing in usury, is threatened with hell fire, Allah Almighty has said: { But whoever returns to [dealing in interest or usury] - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.} [Al-Baqarah 2:275]
{...وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ}
البقرة: 275
Transliteration: waman AAada faolaika ashabu alnnari hum feeha khalidoona
And then He increased the threat and sentenced usurers to eternity in Hell, we seek refuge in Allah, a threat which cracks the hearts and the skins shiver because of its gravity.
Now, O my Muslim brother that you have realized the ugly truth about usury, an application of usury equal to the period of the pre-Islamic ignorance. Stating that, you have been shown its ruling in Islam and some of its harms and dangers to man in worldly and religious affairs and in the Hereafter, and to the community on all its aspects sooner than later. What will you do then with your money? Are you going to eat the forbidden money and invest it in usury-based transactions? Or will you save yourself from hellfire and from the war of Allah and His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, and be one of those who are pious and who fear Allah and avoid usury in all its forms?
I do not think that you - Allah willing - will continue to eat usury or help dealing with it after that you have known the ruling of Allah and His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him. In addition, you have known what has been revealed about the stern warning to those who deal with it. I seek refuge in Allah for you, to continue to do that because your faith in Allah and His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, would be a deterrent and a sufficient warning to you from continuing to deal in usury. Your faith and fear will be helpful to abandon this sinful act and forbidden gain. If you, Muslim brother, want to get rid of usury, put your trust in Allah and make sure that if you are sincere in your intention in leaving it, Allah will ease that for you. He will open your heart to leaving it and will compensate you with that which is better than it, Allah Almighty has said: {And whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty)}. [At-Talaq 65:2]
{...وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجاً}
الطلاق: 2
Transliteration: waman yattaqi Allaha yajAAal lahu makhrajan
The Messenger of Allah, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, has said: "Whosoever gives up something for the sake of Allah, but that He will compensate him with that which is better than it" [Al-Albani narrated it with an authentic chain of transmission]
«من ترك شيئاً لله عوضه بخير منه»
قال الألباني: إسناده صحيح
Moreover, the fields in which a man can invest his money are abundant and not confined to the usurious transactions only. The faithful Muslim should search for them and invest his money accordingly, that if he wants the safety to his religion and the salvation from the torment of his Lord. He should not resort to forbidden gains coveting for increasing his money; on the contrary, he has to be satisfied with what share Allah has destined for him, even if it is little, because permissible money, even if it were little, is more blessed than the plentiful forbidden money. Allah Almighty has said: {Say (O Muhammad): "Not equal are Al-Khabîth (all that is evil and bad as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods) and At-Taiyyib (all that is good as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons, foods), even though the abundance of Al-Khabîth may please you."} [Al-Mâ'idah 5:100]
{قُل لاَّ يَسْتَوِي الْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ...}
المائدة: 100
Transliteration: Qul la yastawee alkhabeethu waalttayyibu walaw aAAjabaka kathratu alkhabeethi
The comfort and luxury that a man will live as a result of his forbidden gains, by Allah, all of this will be forgotten with the first stupor of death, or with the first severe embrace of the grave, or in one of the positions of the Day of Resurrection. The wise Muslim should be well conscious of this and keep away from forbidden actions generally, the love of money should not make him forget his Lord, his religion, destiny and fate; no matter how powerful a man is, he is too weak to bear a bit of the punishment of Allah. Therefore, there is no need for obstinacy and stubbornness, and continuance on committing errors.
Some examples of prevailing usury-based transactions at this time
Many people in this time, without the knowledge of some and deliberately from others, deal in prohibited usury transactions, for example:
1 - Borrowing money with interest rate (such as that the creditor lends the debtor $100 to return them back $120 after a period of time).
2 - Delaying the debt when it is due to paid, in order to increase the amount of money to be paid afterwards.
3 - Purchasing credit cards such as VISA cards and the like, where the value of this card is considered the interests to the bank. Also signing in approval of paying the financial interests if there is a delay in payment of the value of the purchased objects by the card is considered satisfaction with usury and approving of it; which is forbidden. Even if the man does not pay the interests to the bank; however, he has agreed from the start to pay, this is the religious opinion of the Muslim scholars.
4 – Unreal sale. The creditor goes to a store and artificially buys a certain commodity, to which he does not have any purpose but to sell money for more than its value, and then he sells it to the debtor who resells it the owner of the store and goes out with more money, and this is a kind of usury. From usury is also to sell what you do not own. It is also usury that the debtor sells goods before taking possession of them, and selling them to those who he had bought from, all that is forbidden.
5 – Buying and selling of shares of the banks that are dealing in usury or shares of the companies and firms that invest in the usury-based transactions.
6 – Opening an account in usury-based banks and taking interests on this money.
It is the duty of every Muslim, who believes in Allah and the Hereafter, to pay very good attention to this and be cautious not to deal in any financial transaction to which he does not know the religious ruling until he asks the trusted scholars about it, so that he would not fall in any sort of usury while he does not know it.
Ruling on working in usury-based banks
Many who work in usury-based banks are confused and lured, they are given various lies and the doubtful matters and tricks that make them think that their work in these banks is not forbidden. Everyone working in the usury-based banks and are looking for the truth, if they are sincere in this and support the decisive word concerning this matter, here is the formal religious opinion of the Standing Committee under the chairmanship of His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, regarding working in usury-based banks.
The formal religious opinion
Most financial transactions in banks nowadays involve usury, which is forbidden by the Qur’ân and Sunnah, and by the consensus of the scholars of the nation. The Prophet, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, has cursed all those who participated in dealing with usury. In Sahih Muslim and others (of Hadith scholars) through Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, cursed the one who accepted usury, the one who paid it, and the one who recorded it, and he has said: they are all equal (in the degree of the curse)"
«لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا وموكله وكاتبه وقال هم سواء»
رواه مسلم
Those who work in banks are assisting the owners of the banks in the management of the work by writing, recording, certifying, or transferring of documents, handing over money or receiving it, and all other that is considered as assisting usurers, thus it is known that working in usury-based banks is forbidden. So the Muslim should avoid that and try to make a living from the ways which Allah has permitted; and they are many, and he must be afraid of Allah; his Lord, and not expose himself to the curse of Allah and of His Messenger, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him.
O Muslim brother
It has been clear for you now that working in usury-based banks is religiously forbidden, so you must be afraid of Allah; your Lord, and that you must quit this evil job. Beware my brother of making lame excuses that you might not find another job or that the salary in the bank is more than that in any other job, all these excuses are unfounded lame excuses, they are of the devil's discouragement of man. The permissible jobs are plentiful, and it is not a condition, that a man must work in administrative or managerial job only, but he must do his best to look for permissible job. Even if this work has less advantage than working in usury-based banks, or that the work was a handicraft career or a somewhat hard work; there is no shame in that; but the shame all the shame is in what Allah and His messenger, have forbid, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him. And if it was not possible for a person to find a permissible job in a short time, it is not a justification or an excuse that allows him to work in a forbidden job; but he has to be patient and sacrifice it in anticipation of Allah's reward. This might be a test and a trial from Allah, to examine the sincerity of his faith and the power of his trust in Him. Then He may grant him success to find a lawful permissible job, if He considers the sincerity of his faith and his patience not to be close to what is forbidden, and his trust in Him. O dear brother who works in usury-based banks, know that it is better for you to beg or starve to death than to devour usury; because begging is permissible when necessary; because hunger may lead you to death; but dealing or working in usury is, by Allah, Hellfire and the long punishment, which is unbearable to you.
You will not die of starvation, Allah willing, if your intention is sincere in quitting usury in obedience to Allah Almighty, because He says: {And whosoever fears Allâh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). [2]. And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine}. [At-Talâq 65:2-3]
{...وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجاً (2) وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ...}
الطلاق: 2-3
Transliteration: waman yattaqi Allaha yajAAal lahu makhrajan (2) Wayarzuqhu min haythu la yahtasibu
The Prophet, Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him, has said: "Whosoever gives up something for the sake of Allah, but that He will compensate him with that which is better than it" [Al-Albani narrated it with an authentic chain of transmission]
«من ترك شيئا لله عوضه الله خيرا منه»
قال الألباني: إسناده صحيح
O brother! be completely confident that Allah will never break His promise to those who are sincere to Him, but a man should be patient a little bit till Allah brings him the relief, a slave of Allah whose living is from permissible resources will never regret it, but he will regret much if he eats from prohibited resources, and it would be too late to regret, where no remorse will be beneficial.
May Allah help us all to do what He loves and what pleases Him, and may He suffice us with what is permissible rather that with what is forbidden; and He is the Powerful and Able to do that and Allah knows best. Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon His Messenger.
Dar Ibn Khuzaymah
Translated by Wathakker.info website
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