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A story is narrated in the Qur‘ân concerning a people who were dishonest in their business dealings,
deviating from justice in weighing and measuring, and being miserly with each other. Allâh Subhanahu wa
Ta‘ala sent a messenger to bring them back to justice and honesty, as well as to the belief in His Unity.
These were the people of the prophet Shu‘aib (s.a.w.s.), who as a warner and preacher, called on them to
Give full measure, and do not be of those who give less (than what is due). And weigh with the straight
balance, and do not diminish people’s goods nor do evil on the earth, making mischief. (26:181-183)
What is correct in relation to weighing and measuring is correct in relation to all other human affairs and
relationships. The Muslim is not permitted to have two standards, one for himself and one for other people,
this for the near and dear and that for the public, demanding in full his rights and the rights of those who
support him, but when it concerns others, diminishing or depriving them of their rights.
The Prohibition of Buying Stolen Property
In order to combat crime and to confine the criminal within a very narrow sphere of activity, Islâm has
prohibited the Muslim to buy any article which he knows to have been usurped, stolen, or taken unjustly from
its owner; anyone who does so abets the usurper, the thief, or the one committing injustice in his respective
crime. Said the Prophet (s.a.w.s.), He who buys the stolen property, with the knowledge that it was stolen,
shares in the sin and shame of stealing. (Reported by al-Bayhaqi.)
The passage of time does not render a piece of stolen or misappropriated property lawful, for in Islâm the
mere passage of time does not transform the haram into the halal nor does it deprive the original owner of
his right to it.
The Prohibition of Interest
Islâm permits increase in capital through trade. Allâh Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala says, O you who believe, do not
consume your property among yourselves wrongfully, but let there be trade by mutual consent.... (4:29)
At the same time, Islâm blocks the way for anyone who tries to increase his capital through lending on usury
or interest (riba), whether it is at a low or a high rate, reprimanding the Jews for taking usury, even though
they had been prohibited to do so. Among the last revelations are the following verses of Surah al-Baqarah:
O you who believe, fear Allâh and give up what remains due to you of interest if you are indeed Believers.
And if you do not, then be warned of war (against you) by Allâh and His Messenger, while if you repent you
shall have your capital. Do not do wrong and you shall not be wronged. (2:278-279)
The Prophet (s.a.w.s.) declared war on usury and those who deal in it; he pointed out its dangers to society,
saying, When usury and fornication appear in a community, the people of that community render themselves
deserving of the punishment of Allâh. (Reported by al-Hakim; Abû Y‘ala has reported something similar on
good authority.)
Among the revealed religions (According to the Qur‘ân there has been only one true, authentic faith, Al-
Islâm. Islâm means the attainment of peace through conscientious and loving submission to the Will and
Guidance of Allâh. This was the mission of all Prophets and Messengers in human history. It is the same
fundamental faith which was revealed to Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon them). The original
revelations given to Moses and Jesus are no longer available in their complete, original and unadulterated
form. The Qur‘ân is the only divine revelation which was meticulously preserved in its complete, original, and
unadulterated form. As such, it is to be used as the criterion to judge the authenticity of the present forms of
previous revelations.), Judaism, prior to Islâm, had also prohibited interest. In the Old Testament we read, If
you lend money to any of My people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, neither shall
you require interest from him. (Ex. 22:25) As for Christianity, the Gospel according to Luke reads, Give away
to every one who begs of you, and of him who takes away from your goods, do not demand them back
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again. (Luke 6:30) It is, therefore, sad to see that the Old Testament has been subjected to such distortions
that the meaning of “My people,” which originally had a broader application, later became restricted to the
Jews alone, as we read in Deuteronomy, You may lend on interest to a foreigner, but to your brother you
shall not lend on inters“. (Deut. 23:20)
The Wisdom of Prohibiting Interest
The strict prohibition of interest in Islâm is a result of its deep concern for the moral, social, and economic
welfare of mankind. Islâmic scholars have sound arguments explaining the wisdom of this prohibition, and
recenstudies have confirmed their opinions, with some additions and extensions of their arguments. We
confine ourselves to what Imam al-Razi says in his Tafsir of the Qur‘ân:
First: The taking of interest implies appropriating another person’s property without giving him anything in
exchange, because one who lends one dirham for two dirhams gets the extra dirham for nothing. Now, a
man’s property is for (the purpose of) fulfilling his needs and it has great sanctity, according to the hadith, ‘A
man’s property is as sacred as his blood‘ (Transmitted by Abû Na‘eem in Al-hilbah.) This means that taking it
from him without giving him something in exchange is haram.
Second: Dependence on interest prevents people from working to earn money, since the person with
dirhams can earn an extra dirham through interest, either in advance or at a later date, without working for it.
The value of work will consequently be reduced in his estimation, and he will not bother to take the trouble of
running a business or risking his money in trade or industry. This will lead to depriving people of benefits,
and the business of the world cannot go on without industries, trade and commerce, building and
construction, all of which need capital at risk. (This, from an economic point of view, is unquestionably a
weighty argument.)
Third: Permitting the taking of interest discourages people from doing good to one another, as is required by
Islâm. If interest is prohibited in a society, people will lend to each other with good will, expecting back no
more than what they have loaned, while if interest is made permissible the needy person will be required to
pay back more on loans (than he has borrowed), weakening his feelings of good will and friendliness toward
the lender. (This is the moral aspect of the prohibition of interest.)
Fourth: The lender is very likely to be wealthy and the borrower poor. If interest is allowed, the rich will
exploit the poor, and this is against the spirit of mercy and charity. (This is the social aspect of the prohibition
of interest.) (Tafsir by al-Fakhr al-Deen al-Razi, vol. 7, p. 4.)
Thus, in a society in which interest is lawful, the strong benefit from the suffering of the weak. As a result, the
rich become richer and the poor poorer, creating socio-economic classes in the society separated by wide
gulfs. Naturally this generates envy and hatred among the poor toward the rich, and contempt and
callousness among the rich toward the poor. Conflicts arise, the socio-economic fabric is rent, revolutions
are born, and social order is threatened. Recent history amply illustrates the dangers to the peace and
stability of nations inherent in interest-based economies.
The Borrower on Interest and the Writer of the Deed
Unquestionably the money-lender, who takes interest, getting more from the borrower than his capital, is
accursed in the sight of Allâh and the people. But Islâm, with its characteristic method of dealing with the
haram, does not confine the sin to the lender on interest alone; it considers the borrower who pays him
interest, the writer of the promissory note, and the witness to it to be among his accomplices. A hadith says:
Allâh has cursed the one who takes interest, the one who pays it, the one who writes the contract, and the
one who witnesses the contract. (Reported by Ahmad, Abû Daoud, al-Nisai, Ibn Mâjah, and al-Tirmidhî,who
calls it sound.)
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