Surah Al-Baqarah 2:274-281 - Quran Translation Commentary

(2:274) Those who expend their wealth night and day, secretly and in public, for such is their wage with their Lord.⁵⁸⁶ They have nothing to fear nor shall they grieve.

(2:275) Those who deal in usury⁵⁸⁷ shall not rise (on Judgment Day) except as he rises whom the Devil has driven to madness⁵⁸⁸ by (his) touch. That is because they say, ‘Trading is indeed similar to usury,' whereas Allah has made trading lawful and forbidden usury.⁵⁸⁹ Therefore, he whom admonition has reached from his Lord and (so) desists,⁵⁹⁰ for him is what was in the past⁵⁹¹ and his affair is with Allah.⁵⁹² But whosoever reverts, it is such indeed who are companions of the Fire. They will dwell therein for ever.

(2:276) Allah destroys usury⁵⁹³ and cultivates charity.⁵⁹⁴ And Allah bears no love for any denier, sinful (person).⁵⁹⁵

(2:277) Those who believed and did good deeds, Prayed (assiduously and spiritedly) and gave the zakah, for them is their wage with their Lord. They have nothing to fear nor shall they grieve.⁵⁹⁶

(2:278) Believers! Fear Allah and give up any outstanding interest if you are believers.⁵⁹⁷

(2:279) But if you do not, then take notice of war from Allah and His Messenger.⁵⁹⁸ However, if you repent then you may have your principal: neither you wrong nor are you wronged.⁵⁹⁹

(2:280) Yet, were he (the debtor) to be hard up, then allow him respite until easy circumstances.⁶⁰⁰ However, if you treat it as charity, it will be better for you, were you to know.⁶⁰¹

(2:281: And fear a Day wherein you will be returned to Allah, then (it is that) each soul shall be paid in full for what it earned. And they shall not be wronged.⁶⁰²

Commentary

586. It is said of `Ali (who was poor even by the standards of those times: Au.), that he had four Dirhams. He spent one in the night, another in the day, one secretly and another openly. Allah revealed this verse in approval. There were others who used to spend huge sums, such as Abu Bakr, `Uthman, `Abdul Rahman b. `Awf whose charity prompted this verse. Another opinion, (supported by Abu Umamah, Abu Darda', Mak hul, Awza`i, and Rabah b. Yezid: Alusi), is that it refers to those who participate in jihad with their horses (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Jarir, Razi, Zamakhshari, Alusi, Shawkani).

It is reported that the Prophet said: المكثِرون هم الأسفلون. قالوا: يا نبيّ الله إلا مَنْ؟ قال: المكثرون هم الأسفلون، قالوا: يا نبيّ الله إلا مَنْ؟ قال: المكثرون هم الأسفلون. قالوا: يا نبيّ الله، إلا مَنْ؟ حتى خشوا أن تكون قد مَضَت فليس لها رَدّ، حتى قال:"إلا من قال بالمال هكذا وهكذا، عن يمينه وعن شماله، وهكذا بين يديه، وهكذا خلفه، وقليلٌ ما هُمْ - هؤلاء قوم أنفقوا في سبيل الله التي افترض وارتضى، في غير سَرَف ولا إملاق ولا تَبذير ولا فَساد "The wealthy will be in the lowest region (of Hell)." His Companions enquired: "Except who, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "The wealthy will be in the lowest region (of Hell)." His Companions again enquired: "Except who, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "The wealthy will be in the lowest region (of Hell)." His Companions again enquired: "Except who, O Messenger of Allah?" and feared that perhaps the rule has been written down and will not be abrogated, until he said: "Except he who spent, this way and that way, with his right hand and left hand, in front of him and the rear of him. But few are they. These are a people who spend in the way of Allah that which He has declared obligatory and which pleases Him without extravagance, without fear of poverty, without squandering and without corruption." However, Ibn `Abbas has said that the verse of surah Bara'ah (that speaks of zakawat) abrogates this verse (Ibn Jarir).

Nonetheless, the charity that has been mentioned here includes all kinds of expenditure that a man incurs such as what he spends on his family.

While visiting Sa`d b. Abi Waqqas in his sickness the Prophet said: "وإنك لن تنفق نفقة تبتغي بها وجه الله إلا ازددت بها درجة ورفعة، حتى ما تجعل في في امرأتك" "You do not spend anything seeking Allah's Pleasure but you achieve a higher status (with Allah) including what you place into your wife’s mouth " (Ibn Kathir).

587. The two, charity and usury, stand in sharp contrast to each other: one is commended by Allah and which (supposedly) reduces one's wealth while the other has been forbidden by Allah and which (supposedly) causes increase in wealth. Hence the two have been juxtaposed here (Razi).

Riba

Linguistically the word means increase, growth, addition (Sabuni and others).

Majid comments: "The Arabic word riba is but partially covered by the English word ‘usury’ which, in modern parlance, signifies only an ‘exorbitant' or ‘extortionate interest.' The Arabic riba on the other hand, means any addition, however slight, over and above the principal sum lent, and thus includes both ‘usury' and ‘interest.' In the language of modern socialism, interest is an unjustifiable tax on the laboring classes, the unpaid wage. According to the socialist writers of today, money is lent by them who have abundance and returns to them to increase that abundance, the increase being the unpaid dues of labor, which is the only source of wealth the rich are thus made richer and the poor poorer, by every fresh act to taking interest, and the stability of social organism disturbed."

Further down the line he follows up by writing: "The devastating propensities of usury are visible to every eye. The evils attendant on it are neither few nor far between the callousness it engenders, the profligacy it lets loose, the greed it encourages, the jealousy it breeds, the misery it entails, the abjectness it inculcates, and so on. Yet it is Islam alone that has the unique distinction of declaring the pernicious practice illegal absolutely and unconditionally. Greece and Rome both groaned heavily under its yoke, but none of their legislators, like the economists of modern Europe, thought of banning it altogether.. In Greece, `the bulk of the population ... became gradually indebted to the rich to such an extent that they were practically slaves.' And `usury had given all the power of the state to a small plutocracy' (Encycl. Brit. XXVIII. p. 812, 11th Ed.). The Romans fared still worse. `The attempt to regulate the rate of interest utterly failed. In the course of two or three centuries the small free farmers were utterly destroyed. By the pressure of war and taxes they were all driven into debt, and debt ended practically, if not technically, in slavery' (ibid). With all these horrors, experienced and patiently borne, nobody ventured to eradicate the evil root and branch. The utmost that a Solon among the ancients or a Bacon amongst the moderns could advise was to `grind the tooth of usury, that it bite not too much, that is to say, to regulate its rate, without attaching the slightest moral taint to the usurer. The Bible went no doubt many steps further inasmuch as it forbade the advance of usurious loans to the Israelites, (Ex. 22: 25, Dt. 23: 19). But even the Biblical prohibition did not include usurious loans to non Israelites. It is the Holy Qur'an which, to its everlasting glory, has forbidden usury in all its forms categorically."

Qurtubi explains further: The Prophet has defined (other forms of) riba in the following words: الذَّهَبُ بِالذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةُ بِالْفِضَّةِ وَالْبُرُّ بِالْبُرِّ وَالشَّعِيرُ بِالشَّعِيرِ وَالتَّمْرُ بِالتَّمْرِ وَالْمِلْحُ بِالْمِلْحِ مِثْلاً بِمِثْلٍ يَدًا بِيَدٍ فَمَنْ زَادَ أَوِ اسْتَزَادَ فَقَدْ أَرْبَى الآخِذُ وَالْمُعْطِى فِيهِ سَوَاءٌ - صحيح مسلم "Gold against gold, silver against silver, wheat against wheat, barley against barley, dates against dates, salt against salt, equal to equal, hand to hand. Whoever added or demanded more, took interest. He who accepts, and he who gives are equal in sin." According to another hadith reported by `Ubadah b. Samit, فَإِذَا اخْتَلَفَتْ هَذِهِ الأَصْنَافُ فَبِيعُوا كَيْفَ شِئْتُمْ إِذَا كَانَ يَدًا بِيَدٍ - صحيح مسلم "If the exchange is of different commodities (such as gold against silver) then deal as it suits you so long as it is exchanged hand to hand." ... Hence when Bilal (ra) once sold poor quality dates (of one measure) against good quality ones (of another measure), the Prophet (saws) disapproved of it calling it a usurious deal. He suggested that he should have rather sold out the poor quality dates and then purchased good ones with the price obtained.

Accordingly, if one sells, (say one kilogram of) wheat against (two kilograms of) barley, such a deal would be lawful (Rawa'e`). As for the modern day banks, there is no difference of opinion among the legal experts of Islam that their dealings are usurious and unlawful (Au.).

It is this usury about which the Prophet (saws) said in his Sermon delivered from Mount `Arafah: أَلاَ وَإِنَّ كُلَّ رِباً كَانَ فِى الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ مَوْضُوعٌ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَضَى أَنَّ أَوَّلَ رِباً يُوضَعُ رِبَا الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ لَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لاَ تَظْلِمُونَ وَلاَ تُظْلَمُونَ - مسند أحمد "Verily, every kind of usury prevalent in pre-Islamic times stands abrogated, and the first usury that is to be abrogated is that owing to `Abbas b. `Abd al-Muttalib. Your capital amounts are yours: you will neither commit wrong, nor shall you be wronged." Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi. (The above hadith of Ahmad is, however, a slightly different version: Au.).

(Riba can take imperceptible forms also: Au.). It is reported of `A'isha (ra) that Umm Muhibba asked her about a deal she made with Zayd b. al Arqam al Ansari by which she sold a slave girl to him in return for 800 Dirhams that he would pay up later. Then she re purchased the same slave from him at six hundred Dirhams cash that she paid to him. (That is, the slave girl remained with her with eight hundred Dirhams now due to her from Zayd who got six hundred in cash by the deal: Au.). `A'isha (ra) told her: "It is an ugly deal that you made. Tell Zayd that if he did not repent he will undo his jihad with the Prophet" (Qurtubi from Al Muwatta).

However, the Prophet has been recorded by Abu Da'ud as having said: عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- يَقُولُ « إِذَا تَبَايَعْتُمْ بِالْعِينَةِ وَأَخَذْتُمْ أَذْنَابَ الْبَقَرِ وَرَضِيتُمْ بِالزَّرْعِ وَتَرَكْتُمُ الْجِهَادَ سَلَّطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ ذُلاًّ لاَ يَنْزِعُهُ حَتَّى تَرْجِعُوا إِلَى دِينِكُمْ » - سنن أبى داود "When you begin to indulge in `inah (the kind of trade `A'isha disapproved of in the above incident), take up to raising cattle, are satisfied with plowing fields and give up jihad then Allah will impose upon you a humiliation that He will not remove until you return (to your religion)" Qurtubi.

It might also be noted at this juncture that Allah adopted a gradual measure in forbidding usury. It was done in four stages:

1. In the first stage it was said in a Makkan revelation (30: 39): وَمَا آَتَيْتُمْ مِنْ رِبًا لِيَرْبُوَ فِي أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُو عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَمَا آَتَيْتُمْ مِنْ زَكَاةٍ تُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُضْعِفُونَ [الروم/39] "That which you give in interest in order that it may increase at the cost of (other) people's property has no increase with Allah; but that which you give in charity, seeking Allah's countenance, increases many fold." This verse did not declare usury unlawful but expressed disapproval.

2. The second stage Madinan revelation expressed the disapproval of the Jewish practice. It said (4: 160, 161): فَبِظُلْمٍ مِنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيِّبَاتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ وَبِصَدِّهِمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَثِيرًا (160) وَأَخْذِهِمُ الرِّبَا وَقَدْ نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَأَكْلِهِمْ أَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ مِنْهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا [النساء/160، 161] "Because of the wrongdoing on the part of the Jews We forbade them (certain) good things that were lawful unto them, and because of their much obstructing Allah's path, and (because of) their taking usury although they were prohibited ..." This verse forbade usury by implication, but not yet directly.

3. In the third stage usury was forbidden in unequivocal terms, but not yet all its kinds, rather only one: that kind in which interest was charged upon interest – what was known as riba al fahish. The revelation said (3: 130): يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا الرِّبَا أَضْعَافًا مُضَاعَفَةً [آل عمران/130] "Believers! Do not devour interest doubling and quadrupling."

4. Finally, in the fourth stage all kinds of usury were forbidden, whether small or big by the verse under discussion.

We have a parallel of this in the banning of liquor, which was also declared forbidden in stages. Thus we see that a gradual measure was applied in treating social ills that the pre Islamic Arab world suffered (Sabuni in Rawa'e`).

588. Describing one of the incidents that he noticed during his Night Journey and Ascension, the Prophet said: "فانطلق بى جبريل فمررت برجال كثير كل رجل منهم بطنه مثل البيت الضخم متصدين على سابلة آل فرعون وآل فرعون يعرضون على النار بكرة وعشيا فيقبلون مثل الابل المهيومة (1) يتخبطون الحجارة والشجر لا يسمعون ولا يعقلون فإذا أحس بهم أصحاب تلك البطون قاموا فتميل بهم بطونهم فيصرعون ثم يقوم أحدهم فيميل به بطنه فيصرع فلا يستطيعون براحا حتى يغشاهم آل فرعون فيطئونهم مقبلين ومدبرين فذلك عذابهم في البرزخ بين الدنيا والآخرة وآل فرعون يقولون اللهم لا تقم الساعة أبدا، فإن الله تعالى يقول: " ويوم تقوم الساعة أدخلوا آل فرعون أشد العذاب (2) " - قلت - يا جبريل من هؤلاء ؟ قال: " هؤلاء الذين يأكلون الربا لا يقومون إلا كما يقوم الذى يتخبطه الشيطان من المس". “Then Jibril took me along until I passed over a people remarkable for their big tummies like huge houses. They were blocking the way of Fir`awn's folks. These latter ones are exposed to the Fire, morning and evening. So that when they return, they are like sick camels which cannot make the difference between a rock and a tree, neither hearing nor understanding anything. When these people with big tummies (according to another version: "with snakes in their bellies": Ibn Kathir), feel them coming their way, they try to rise up (and move off) but because of their heavy tummies tumble down. They rise up again but again fall down, until Fir`awn's folks arrive and run over them. They trample them coming and going. This is their punishment in the purgatory between this world and the next. The folks of Fir`awn cry out to Allah, ‘O Lord! Do not ever bring forth the Resurrection.' That is because Allah has said (40: 46), 'When the day of Resurrection is brought forth, thrust the folks of Fir`awn into a Punishment more severe.' I asked Jibril, 'Who are these people?' He said, 'These are a people who dealt in interest. They will not rise again except as he rises whom the Devil has driven to madness by (his) touch'" (Qurtubi).

Thanwi says, in effect, that the punishment of being raised as a mad one corresponds well with the crime which has its basis in irrationalism. A person who is so irrational as to believe that 'trade is in principle similar to usury' deserves hat he should be raised mad. Tafsir Abi Sa`ud has another point. Sabuni quotes it in his Rawa'e` that the punishment of being raised as one touched by the Devil is because Allah nourished and made to grow in size what they used to feed on, here in this world, that is, usury. The increase in the size of their stomachs will make them sway this way and that, like a man attacked by epilepsy.

One of the prayers of the Prophet as recorded by Nasa'i used to be: عَنْ أَبِى الْيَسَرِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- كَانَ يَدْعُو « اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّى أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَدْمِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ التَّرَدِّى وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْغَرَقِ وَالْحَرَقِ وَالْهَرَمِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ يَتَخَبَّطَنِى الشَّيْطَانُ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَمُوتَ فِى سَبِيلِكَ مُدْبِرًا وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَمُوتَ لَدِيغًا » - سنن أبى داود "O my Lord. I seek Your refuge from (death by) fall, from destruction, drowning, fire, extreme old age. I seek Your refuge that I be bewitched by the Devil while in the throes of death. I seek Your refuge that I should die showing my back (during a battle) in Your path. And I seek Your refuge that I should die stung (by a snake or a scorpion)" Qurtubi.

The Prophet seeking Allah's protection against the touch of the Devil shows that the phrase has not been used here metaphorically; rather, in its real sense (Shawkani).

To the above can be added various other ahadith that confirm that the Devil can touch and affect the people, such as: مَا مِنْ بَنِى آدَمَ مَوْلُودٌ إِلاَّ يَمَسُّهُ الشَّيْطَانُ حِينَ يُولَدُ ، فَيَسْتَهِلُّ صَارِخًا مِنْ مَسِّ الشَّيْطَانِ ، غَيْرَ مَرْيَمَ وَابْنِهَا - صحيح البخارى "There is not a new born child but the Devil touches it so that it begins to cry out, except Maryam and her child" and, احْبِسُوا صِبْيَانَكُمْ حَتَّى تَذْهَبَ فَوْرَةُ الْعِشَاءِ فَإِنَّهَا سَاعَةٌ تَخْتَرِقُ فِيهَا الشَّيَاطِينُ "Keep your children indoors until its early part has disappeared because this is the time Shayatin spread (in the earth)" Alusi.

Some people have been misled by another verse in which Shaytan himself is quoted as what he would say on the Day of Judgment (14: 22): وَمَا كَانَ لِيَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا أَنْ دَعَوْتُكُمْ فَاسْتَجَبْتُمْ لِي فَلَا تَلُومُونِي وَلُومُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ [إبراهيم/22] "I had no power over you except that I incited you and you responded to my incitement; therefore, reproach me not rather reproach yourselves." But what this verse is saying in reality is that Shaytan cannot force somebody to commit deeds. He can only incite men (so that man remains responsible for his deeds). Also, it is not proven that the spirits of the dead can influence those alive (as believed by the masses: Au.); because, if they are in blessings (because of their past good deeds: Au.), then there is no need for them to distract themselves; and, if they are being punished, then they cannot respond because they are kept busy (Thanwi).

589. At the time of the Prophet (saws) riba used to be of two kinds: riba al-nasi'ah and riba al fadl. (nasi'ah is the well known interest on money: Au.); as for the riba al fadl it was to sell say a kilogram of one quality of wheat against two kilograms of wheat of another quality. The Qur'an spoke of it in general terms but the Prophet specifically prohibited both. However, until the prohibition of the Prophet reached Ibn `Abbas he remained believing that it was only the riba al nasi'a that was prohibited. When he received the hadith of Abu Sa`id al Khudri, he changed his opinion (Razi).

(For further discussion see note 599 below: Au.).

Mawdudi adds: "Let us consider ... the question of loans for profitable enterprises, and confine our consideration to loans made at non exorbitant rates of interest. The question, however, remains: Which rational principle, which logic, which canon of justice and which sound economic principle can justify that those who spend their time, energy, capacity and resources, and whose effort and skill make a business thrive, are not guaranteed profits at any fixed rate, whereas those who merely lend out their funds are fully secured against all risks of loss and are guaranteed profit at a fixed rate? And which principle can justify the fact that a man lends out his funds to an industrial concern and fixes, say for the next twenty years, that he will be entitled to receive each year a given per cent interest on his capital, while the proprietors of the industrial concern have no means of foretelling the price changes affecting their commodity, and hence their profit? Let us consider another case, namely that of war loans. How can it be appropriate that all classes of people endure all kinds of losses and are exposed to all kinds of risks and dangers connected with war, whereas the financiers, simply by having made loans, continue to receive interest on them for long periods of time, sometimes even for a whole century?"

That said, it must be realized that with the involvement of billions of people spread over several continents, linked to each other through a myriad of strings leading to a single economic system that governs the world, the hourly exchange of goods, money and services on such enormous scale, and the complex functioning of thousands of national and international banks and monetary agencies, today's economic system has become so complex that it is no less beyond the grasp of a single mind than weather predictions are. That should explain why there are so few unanimous opinions among the economic experts over any economic issue. One such concerns the exact role, function, advantages or disadvantages of the interest bearing banks, (no less than a few hundreds of which are declared insolvent every year), and which play a pivotal role in all transactions, small or big, local or international. But, to be sure, disenchantment is growing fast. And many Western economic experts are coming to the point that the present system is, to say the least, extremely vulnerable. Many of them go a step further and say that if the system crashed they would not be too surprised. And, the system does crash every decades or so. This should also explain why, apart from a proper appraisal and "technical" criticism of the system, which itself is an enormous task demanding economic expertise as well as a thorough understanding of the Shari`ah, a combination not easily achieved, it is of prime importance that an alternative system be gradually brought into being.

The first decade of the twentieth century economy is a picture of: يَمْحَقُ اللَّهُ الرِّبَا وَيُرْبِي الصَّدَقَاتِ [البقرة : 276] “Allah destroys usury and cultivates charity.” Despite tremendous growth in industrial, agricultural, trade and other economic activities, unemployment is wide-spread, and four-fifth of the human population all over the globe are finding it hard to feed themselves, while the great majority of banks are being gifted trillions of dollars because all their liquid cash has evaporated. To refer to the present financial activities as ‘bubble economy’ is a fashion and a key-word of not the laymen, but economic experts (Au.).

590. Ja`far b. Muhammad As Sadiq has said: "Allah forbade usury so that people may borrow from each other." According to Musnad al Bazzar, the Prophet said: قَرْضُ مَرَّتَيْنِ يَعْدِلُ صَدَقَةَ مَرَّةٍ "Two instances of offering loans is equal to giving out in charity once" (Qurtubi).

591. This verse lays down a general rule viz., a new Muslim will remain on what he was prior to his acceptance of Islam. For instance, if he was married following a marriage process that was approved by his previous religion, his marriage remains valid in Islam. This is in accordance with the Shafe`i school of fiqh (Razi).

592. The words: "His affair is with Allah" can be interpreted in several ways. The meaning preferred by Nuhhas, which I believe is the preferable one, is that it means: "It is now for Allah, to whom his affair returns, that He either keeps him guided so that he remains avoiding usury or let him go off the track so that he falls into it again" (Qurtubi).

Razi however says that the phrase can either mean: a) his past usury dealings are not forgiven and that his case will be looked into again on the Day of Judgment; but this interpretation creates several problems. Alternatively, it may mean, and this seems to be the better interpretation, that, b) it refers to those who revert back to dealings in interest despite the announcement of Allah's disapproval, and despite the fact that they admit that it has no sanction in the Shari`ah and what they are doing is wrong. It is such whose affair is with Allah. He may either forgive them or punish them. This is also the meaning adopted by Ibn Jarir. Thanwi's explanation is that it refers to a man who has desisted from dealing in usury; his affair returns to Allah, who will judge him in accordance with his intentions, whether his act was prompted by an inner conviction or was it external pressure that made him give up the usurious dealings.

593. As Allah said in surah al Rum: وَمَا آَتَيْتُمْ مِنْ رِبًا لِيَرْبُوَ فِي أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُو عِنْدَ اللَّهِ [الروم/39] "That which you give in usury in order that it may increase upon other people's wealth, has no increase with Allah" (Ibn Kathir).

594. We have a report in this context. The Prophet (saws) said: إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَقْبَلُ الصَّدَقَةَ وَلاَ يَقْبَلُ مِنْهَا إِلاَّ الطَّيِّبَ يَقْبَلُهَا بِيَمِينِهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى وَيُرَبِّيهَا لِعَبْدِهِ الْمُسْلِمِ اللُّقْمَةَ كَمَا يُرَبِّى أَحَدُكُمْ مُهْرَهُ أَوْ فَصِيلَهُ حَتَّى يُوَافَى بِهَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ "Allah accepts not charity but that which is clean and lawful. Then He grows it for His Muslim-slave, just as one of you would tender a young mare or a sapling, until He will complete its growth to the size of Mount Uhud on the Day of Judgment" (Ibn Jarir). The hadith is in Muslim (Qurtubi). It is also in Bukhari in slightly different words (Ibn Kathir). The above text has been taken from Ahmad (Au.). مَا نَقَصَ مَالُ عَبْدٍ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ: قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ - الترمذى Another hadith says: "The wealth of a slave does not decrease with charity" (Zamakhshari).

595. "It is clear that only those who have a surplus of earnings over their basic requirements that can lend out money on interest. This surplus, according to the Qur'an, constitutes God's bounty. And true thankfulness for this bounty requires that a person should be bountiful towards other creatures of God even as the Creator has been to him. If, instead of doing this, the person tries to become richer at the expense of those whose present earnings are insufficient to meet their needs, he is at once guilty of ungratefulness to God, and blatantly unjust, cruel and wicked" (Mawdudi).

596. That is, they shall neither be apprehensive of what's going to happen to them in the future, nor shall they grieve over the past Ibn `Abbas (Razi).

597. The verse was revealed in response to the claims of the tribe of Thaqif upon the tribes of Makhzum and Mughira who refused to pay interest after they had converted to Islam. A delegation was sent to the Prophet and the verse settled the issue (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

598. The person who dealt in usury will be told on the Day of Resurrection, "Here, get ready with your arms for a fight now" (Ibn `Abbas: Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

According to Ibn `Abbas, if a citizen of an Islamic state deals in usury, he may be detained and ordered to repent. If he refuses, he should be put to death (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Alusi). Ibn Khuwayzmandad has said that if the people of a place consider interest as a lawful thing, they have turned apostates. However, if they deal in it but do not believe in its lawfulness then the Imam al Muslimin may declare war on them.

Nonetheless, the Prophet is on record as having said: لَيَأْتِيَنَّ عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ لاَ يَبْقَى أَحَدٌ إِلاَّ أَكَلَ الرِّبَا فَإِنْ لَمْ يَأْكُلْهُ أَصَابَهُ مِنْ بُخَارِهِ "A time will surely come upon the people when no one will be left but would consume interest. If he would not have partaken of it directly, then at least its smoke (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir quoting from Ibn Majah, Nasa'i and Abu Da'ud). According to another hadith the Prophet said: عن عبد الله : عن النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم قال : "الربا ثلاثة و سبعون بابا أيسرها مثل أن ينكح الرجل أمه" - هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين و لم يخرجاه (المستدرك على الصحيحين للحاكم) - تعليق الذهبي قي التلخيص : على شرط البخاري ومسلم "Usury has 73 grades, the lowest of which is as (heinous a crime) as a man having sex with his mother" (Shawkani).

Mawdudi adds: "The Prophet (peace be on him) warned the Arab tribes (that had entered into peace treaties with the Prophet: Ma`arif) ... that war would be declared against them if they did not give up interest bearing transactions. It was specified, for instance, in the agreement under which the Christians of Najran were granted internal autonomy under the suzerainty of the Islamic state, that if they continued to use interest, the agreement with them would be considered void and their action an act of belligerency."

599. It is reported of `Umar ibn al Khattab and Ibn `Abbas that they said: "The set of verses concerning usury are the last ones to be revealed so that the Prophet died before he could extensively elaborate the issue. Therefore shun (all kinds of) interests including those that are of doubtful nature" (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

Hence the Prophet's hadith preserved by Imam Muslim in which he is reported by No`man b. Bashir as having said: الْحَلاَلُ بَيِّنٌ وَالْحَرَامُ بَيِّنٌ ، وَبَيْنَهُمَا مُشَبَّهَاتٌ لاَ يَعْلَمُهَا كَثِيرٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ ، فَمَنِ اتَّقَى الْمُشَبَّهَاتِ اسْتَبْرَأَ لِدِيِنِهِ وَعِرْضِهِ ، وَمَنْ وَقَعَ فِى الشُّبُهَاتِ كَرَاعٍ يَرْعَى حَوْلَ الْحِمَى ، يُوشِكُ أَنْ يُوَاقِعَهُ . أَلاَ وَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ مَلِكٍ حِمًى ، أَلاَ إِنَّ حِمَى اللَّهِ فِى أَرْضِهِ مَحَارِمُهُ "The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear; between them are things that are doubtful which most people have no knowledge of. Therefore, whoever avoided the doubtful saved his religion and his honor. Whereas, he who indulged in the doubtful is like a shepherd who lets his cattle graze by the boundary. It is feared that he will cross the boundary. Lo! Every king has his boundaries. Lo! Allah's boundaries in the earth are those things that He has forbidden" (Qurtubi). The above text is from Bukhari (Au.).

Shafi' Deobandi has the following to say in explanation of the statement of `Umar and Ibn `Abbas (ra) viz., the Prophet (saws) died before he could elaborate upon the subject of riba: Riba is a common Arabic word whose meaning was never obscure to the people who spoke the language. When it was declared unlawful in the eighth year after hijrah, the Companions of the Prophet had no difficulty in determining its meaning namely, that sum (or material) which is additionally charged over the principal on the debtor in return of the delayed return. This is the kind of riba that the Qur'an spoke of in these verses. However, riba can take inconspicuous forms. The Prophet, therefore, further broadened the spectrum of its meaning by banning certain kinds of dealings and declaring them usurious. For instance he declared as unlawful the selling of fruits before they are ripe or the crops before they are harvested. He also declared, "Gold against gold, silver against silver, wheat against wheat, barley against barley, dates against dates, salt against salt, equal to equal, hand to hand. Whoever added or demanded more took interest." Now, the question arose whether riba was confined to these six commodities or was it generally applicable to all kinds of materials. It was to this that `Umar (ra) was referring when he said that the Prophet died without elaborating the subject. `Umar recommended therefore, that in view of the grave risk of falling into the unlawful, one should abstain from every deal that has any resemblance to either of the two kinds of riba: the one declared unlawful by the Qur'an as well as the other kinds declared unlawful by the Prophet. Those Muslims of our times therefore, who argue that the term riba has remained undefined and a term obscure in its meaning are at a great distance from truth and guidance."

600. It is said that two men quarreled over something and appeared before Qadi Shurayh (the famous judge of `Umar's time: Au.). He found one of them to be on the wrong and so awarded him a jail term. The man said: "That's a bit too harsh. Allah has said, 'Yet, were he to be hard up, then allow him respite until easy circumstances (prevail).'" Shurayh told him: "That is for cases involving usury. For us is that injunction of Allah which says (4: 58): 'Verily Allah orders you to render the trusts to those they belong, and that if you have to judge between the people, judge fairly.' Allah will not order us do a thing and then punish us for doing it" (Ibn Jarir).

The majority of scholars however believe that the application is common to all kinds of loans and transactions, so that someone in straitened circumstances will be granted reprieve by the courts, although every case will be judged by its own merit and in cases of foul play detention and forcible recovery cannot be ruled out. Further, legal experts have laid out rules about what can be confiscated of the property of an insolvent and what cannot be confiscated (Au.).

The act itself of giving respite is a virtuous one. There are several ahadith that extol the act. For instance, Imam Muslim has recorded a hadith in which the Prophet is reported by Hudhayfah as having said: « أُتِىَ اللَّهُ بِعَبْدٍ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً فَقَالَ لَهُ مَاذَا عَمِلْتَ فِى الدُّنْيَا - قَالَ وَلاَ يَكْتُمُونَ اللَّهَ حَدِيثًا - قَالَ يَا رَبِّ آتَيْتَنِى مَالَكَ فَكُنْتُ أُبَايِعُ النَّاسَ وَكَانَ مِنْ خُلُقِى الْجَوَازُ فَكُنْتُ أَتَيَسَّرُ عَلَى الْمُوسِرِ وَأُنْظِرُ الْمُعْسِرَ. فَقَالَ اللَّهُ أَنَا أَحَقُّ بِذَا مِنْكَ تَجَاوَزُوا عَنْ عَبْدِى » "A man from a previous nation who was given wealth was brought up before Allah. He asked him, ‘What good did you do in the world? – He (the Prophet) added, ‘They will not be able to conceal a word from Allah. The man answered, ‘My Lord. You gave me Your bounty and I used to trade with the people. Now, my habit was to forego, so that I used to make it easy for a man of means and offer reprieve to a man hard up.’ Allah said, ‘I am more deserving of it than you.’ (Then He ordered), ‘Let go My slave’” (Qurtubi). Bukhari has another version of this hadith (Ibn Kathir).

There are several ahadith that say that Allah will provide shelter on a Day when there will be no shelter besides His, to him who allowed reprieve to a man hard up in finance (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

601. Thus Allah declared those who know but do not live according to their knowledge are like those who do not know at all (Zamakhshari).

602. According to `Atiyya, Suddi, and Dahhak, this is the last verse revealed by Allah. According to Ibn `Abbas, the Prophet lived for no more than nine days after its revelation (Ibn Jarir and others). In other words, this was the last contact between the heavens and the earth (Sabuni). It is also reported that following Jibril's advice, the Prophet ordered this verse placed between this passage (dealing with usury) and the passage dealing with loans (Qurtubi, Razi, Shawkani, Zamakhshari).