Original Arabic text titled Saraabun Khaadi,' a pamphlet

published by Daru-Ibn-al-Khuzaimah, Riyadh, Saudi-Arabia

Translation:
 Halima Jibir
© Halima Jibir
First Published 2002.
Kaduna Nigeria.

I dedicate this work to the policy-makers within all Islamic societies.

No prior permission is required for free distribution as long as the contents
remain the same. Please reproduce and redistribute so that the Muslim and
the Islamic community may know of the absolute danger to the individual
and society of riba and riba-mongering.
Halima Jibir
Kaduna
Jumada-Ula 1423/July 2002

2
In the Name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful. All

Praise is to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and

Blessings upon the prophet, Muhammad, and upon his

family and companions.

In modern times a lot of Muslims have relegated the fact of

the hereafter to the backstage. They have gone, instead, all

out for this world so much so that to gather and accumulate

wealth in whatever circumstance has taken control of their

hearts and mind. This has become the most important goal

in their lives and the end of their knowledge. Everything the

hands happen to get hold of, or the body happens to touch is

considered halaal even if indeed haraam. That only is

denoted haraam, which cannot be gotten hold of. All that

such attitude denotes is a clear lack of Fear of Allah in the

hearts of men, and a flagrant disregard of the religion of

Allah Most High.

Associating with Riba (usury) is one such haraam taken

so much for granted. Riba is that wealth of haraam, which

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whoever takes it with the notion that it’s halaal, has gone

out of the fold of Islam - a kaafir - may Allah forbid. This is

because, the fact that riba is haraam is one fundamental law

that should not escape the Muslim.

Allah says in the Qur’an:

((Those who gorge themselves on usury will not stand

(on the day of Reckoning) except as he may stand

whom shaitan has confounded with his touch. That is

because they say: “Trade is just the same as usury”,

But Allah has made trade lawful and usury forbidden.

He who receives an admonition from his Lord and

thereupon desists (from usury) may retain his past

gains and Allah shall be his ultimate Judge. Those

who revert to the practice (of usury) are indeed the

inmates of the fire, wherein they shall abide. Allah

blots out usury and makes charitable offerings grow

and increase, Allah does not love confirmed

disbelievers who persist in wrong doing))

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 Note the testimony upon those who revert to the

practice (of usury), having known and comprehended the

verdict declared by Allah Most High on the practice of usury:

these are indeed the inmates of the fire wherein they

shall abide.

Allah Most High says again:

((O you who believe, fear Allah and give up what

remains outstanding of usury gains, if indeed you are

believers. If you do not, then take notice of war from

Allah and His Messenger. If you repent, however, you

shall remain entitled to your principal. You shall

commit no wrong, nor suffer any wrong yourselves.

-------And fear a day when you shall return to Allah.

Then shall every soul be paid in full for what it had

earned and none shall be wronged))1

1
Surah Baqara; 274-281

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Allah Most High has not declared a war against the

perpetrator of any evil as He has declared against the one

who devour riba.

The prophet, peace upon him, had indeed made clear the

fact about riba. He, peace upon him, had revealed the

ugliness and repulsive nature of riba, which would make the

true Believer in Allah and the Last Day distance himself well

far away from riba, when he said:

“Riba is made up of seventy-two different varieties, the least

of which is like the case of a man having sexual intercourse

with his Mother”

How indeed ugly! Is any more admonition necessary for the

one who has true faith and Inner Wisdom?

The fact is that riba has gone far beyond all forms of zina in

ugliness and prohibition. This, despite all that zina entails of

undermining one’s faith and state of life in general. Zina

involves a great betrayal of trust, and leads to dampened

character, immodesty, and results in confused lineage

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against the offspring of such act. Again the penalty for zina

is stoning to death, or strokes of the cane plus

abandonment, depending on whether the case is fornication

or adultery. An onward consequence of seething skin in a

roaring furnace is the punishment in the hereafter. Despite

the resultant punishment, the Prohibition and Offence

attached to even a small quantity riba far exceeds that

which is attached to zina. The prophet, peace upon him, has

said:

“One dir-ham (kobo) of riba consumed by a man (woman)

while he knows it to be riba is a greater offence with Allah

than thirty-six acts of adultery by a Muslim”. (Ahmad)

If this is about one dir-ham, then what about those who

consume thousands, nay Millions!

Riba is a dirty gain, forbidden, and an empty gain consisting

of no good or blessing. But instead causes harm and decline

to the benefits of religion and life in general, both in the

present and the future.

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The evils of riba affect all who get involved in such

transaction, from those who benefit directly, to those who

offer services for the transaction to be accomplished, and

those who merely assist or even just are comfortable with

the transaction. To be involved in such transactions is to give

support to a rebellious illegitimate transaction whose main

reality is, actually a confrontation and a battle-ready stance

against Allah and His Messenger (peace upon him), coupled

with absolute impiety against servants of Allah. This is the

fact of the deal, its evil is certainly wide and tremendous, its

consequence no doubt overwhelming and excruciating, both

on the individual and the society as a whole. The society at

large, which condones riba, refusing to make amends at

such would be seen to suffer the prevailing consequences of

riba, as does the individual:

1. Acts of Charity would not be accepted from the one

who devours riba. This is because the source is dirty:

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 ((---And do not aim at the dirty source, giving

charity out of it----))2

“Verily Allah is Good, He accepts only that which is

good”3

2. Allah does not answer the prayer of the one who

devours riba:

“Make your source of living good, you are the one whose

prayer is answered”

3. Blessings get ripped up from the life and earnings of

the one who devours riba.

((Allah blots out riba and makes charitable

offerings grow and increase))

4. To devour riba is to enter into war with Allah and His

Messenger, peace upon him:

((---If you do not, then take notice of war from

Allah and His Messenger---))4

2
Surah Baqara; 267
3
Muslim
4
Surah Baqara; 279

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 5. The one who devours riba has caused upon himself the

curse of Allah and His Messenger, peace upon him.

Curse here means, to be flung far away from the

territories of Mercy. Jabir was reported to have said:

“The prophet, peace upon him, has cursed the one

who benefits directly from riba, the one who gives it,

the one who writes it, the one who is a witness to it;

while adding that they all bear the same burden”.5

6. To devour riba is one reason that results in a bad

ending (i.e. of life). This is because there’re sins, which

strip a person of his faith. Riba is one of such sin. It

comes to haunt a person at his deathbed so that his

farewell from life and his meeting with his Lord is

haunted by riba: a disobedience to Allah and His

Messenger, a rebellious stance against Allah and a

wrong against His servants. The person leaves the

5
Muslim

10
 world in the worst of conditions to face the worst of

ending.

7. A hadith has it that the one who devours riba shall

begin to suffer the evil of his deed in the grave. He shall

be made to swim in a river of blood with his mouth full

of stones. Pieces of stone are thrown into his mouth

each time he attempts to escape. Furthermore, on the

day of Reckoning, he shall rise from the grave as does

the Epileptic:

((Those who gorge themselves on usury will

not stand (on the day of Reckoning) except

as he may stand whom shaitan has

confounded with his touch))

The condition could be interpreted to be because of the

suffering they had encountered in the grave due to the

evils of riba.

8. The person who dies while still involved in riba belongs

with the hellfire. Allah says in the Qur’an:

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 ((Those who revert to the practice (of usury) are

indeed the inmates of the fire, wherein they shall

abide))

The above consequences are enough admonishment to make the

Muslim, sincere in his Iman distance himself away from anything

riba. The one whose motive is to be cleansed of riba should as of

necessity put his complete trust in Allah, knowing that indeed

Allah shall make his task easy by the virtue of his sincerity of

intention. Note the verse, which says:

((-----And for the one who fears Allah, He sets a way out

for him.))6

And also note the hadith, which says:

“The one who leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah

compensates for that person with something better.”7

6
Talaaq; 02.
7
Sahih

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And then bring to light the fact that there are many other ways,

halaal, on which to build wealth. It’s not by riba alone wealth can

multiply. It’s important to earn halaal even if that halaal is

considered small in the eyes, for indeed, halaal is always better in

value than haraam however the massiveness of haraam:

((Say: “Not equal are things that are bad and things that

are good, even though the abundance of the bad may

dazzle you,-----))

It’s incumbent upon the Muslim, who is true in his faith and

guards well his faith, to certainly look for lawful ways to build his

wealth. The Muslim must refuse to be lured into unlawful dealings

in pursuit of increasing his wealth. The Muslim should instead

learn to be content with the provision Allah has given him as his

share. It should be remembered that all good and comfort

enjoyed as a result of haraam earnings would soon be forgotten

with the first pang of death. The wise Muslim understands this

very well. He goes far away from all that is haraam. He does not

allow the love for wealth to make him forget his Lord, his faith, his

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purpose in life, and his ultimate end. The wise Muslim knows that

whatever he feels he is, he would not be able to stand the

punishment from Allah. All conceit and stubbornness on the

wrong should therefore be checked.

EXAMPLES OF SOME RIBA-BASED DEALINGS RAMPANT IN

MODERN TIMES

A lot many people in modern times do get involved in riba-based

deals ignorantly at times but deliberately at other times. Among

such deals are:

1. Loans received (given) with interest: e.g., where the lender

borrows out =N=1000 now to be paid back at a future time

as =N=1200.

2. Loan given without interest to be redeemed at a particular

period. On the expiration of this period, grace period is

granted but on the condition of interest added to the original

value of the loan.

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3. Credit cards, like visa and the rest, where the bank receives

interest depending on the value of the card. The fact that

the card-holder agrees, by commission or omission, to pay

interest on failing to settle his bills on time is also a way of

giving support and agreeing to riba, which is haraam. Even if

indeed no payment of interest is subsequently made, the

fact that such has been consented to right at the beginning

of the agreement is enough haraam.

4. ‘Eenah Trading: This is the case where a person goes to buy

a certain commodity from the market for no other reason

than to sell money for more money (riba). He offers to sell

this commodity to someone seeking loan from him, someone

who doesn’t indeed have the money to buy the commodity.

By nothing more than word of mouth the borrower agrees to

buy the commodity at, say, =N=1000. Now the Lender

comes back, offers and agrees to buy the same commodity

at, say, =N=800. No money has exchanged hands so far. But

now the borrower agreeing to sell something he really does

not own receives cash of =N=800 from the lender and also

agrees to pay back the =N=1000 he had initially bought the

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 commodity by word of mouth. This type of trading is

classified riba and is haraam.

5. To buy or sell shares of riba-based banks or shares of

companies and/or organizations, which derive their earnings

from riba-oriented businesses.

6. To open and maintain Bank accounts in riba-based banks,

and to receive interests from such.

It’s mandatory upon every Muslim who believes in Allah and the

last day to really beware and therefore guard himself/herself from

riba. It’s mandatory that the Muslim does not go into any cash

dealings without seeking to find out the true position of things, in

the Islamic perspective, from those who truly have the

knowledge. It should be established whether the dealing lies with

halaal or haraam. To do such ensues that one does not fall into

haraam while he knows not.

RULING REGARDING WORKING AT Riba (INTEREST)-BASED

BANKS

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A lot of people who work at riba-based banks are at a loss and

confused about the situation. They receive a number of untrue,

doubtful and, sometimes, manipulative ideas that make them to

assume that their work in these banks is not haraam. It is

necessary for the one who works in such banks to seek and

search for the truth if indeed he wants the truth. Below is a

special Ruling (fataawaa) on the subject by the Permanent

Council on Fatawaa and Research (Saudi-Arabia) under the

distinguished chairmanship of Sheikh Abdul-Azeez bn Baaz:

“Indeed the majority of transactions in the present-

day banks revolve around riba, and riba is haraam

by the words of the Qur’an and the sunnah and by

consensus agreement of the Islamic community.

The prophet, on whom be peace, had indeed issued

a curse upon all persons who participate in any riba

transaction. This hadith is as reported by Muslim

and others, that Jabir said:

“The prophet, on whom be peace, had cursed the

one who devours riba, the one who gives it, the one

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 who writes it, and the one who participated as

witness, adding that all of them are the same”

Those people who work in banks are indeed helpers

to the lords of the banks for the fact that they man

the jobs of drafting, certification, witnessing,

transferring papers from one place to another,

receiving/giving out cash etc. All these are jobs that

signify assistance and support to the real riba

mongers.

It is clear from the hadith that indeed to work in

interest-based banks is haraam. The Muslim should

indeed avoid such work, and seeks livelihood

elsewhere, from the variety of other means made

available and halaal by the Mercy of Allah, Glorified

and Exalted. The Muslim should fear Allah, his Lord

and Cherisher Most High, and avoid putting himself

on the line cursed by Allah and His Messenger.”

It’s obvious from the statement that to work in the traditional

interest-based banks is haraam. One should not therefore try to

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condone that no other work is available or that the pay in the

banks is higher. These are flimsy excuses from the web of the

Shaitan. Indeed a lot other means of livelihood are available and a

job doesn’t have to be a white-collar job. It’s necessary that one

looks for a means of livelihood that is halaal however mean it may

appear against a bank job, or however more tasking physically.

Fault lies in what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden and not

what the human being is arrogant or greedy about. Where a work

that is halaal is difficult to come by, still that is no excuse to

indulge in haraam. The Muslim is expected to be patient and

remain calm, and to continue to seek for only halaal. Indeed in

the difficulty the Muslim encounters is a trial of faith from Allah

Most High in order to confirm the truth of his faith and the

strength of the trust he has in the Lord Most High. It is likely that

on the aftermath of the trial of faith, a halaal and most satisfying

job gets to be secured. This is a blessing as a result of the strong

faith and perseverance against haraam.

To starve to death is indeed a better alternative than to deal in

riba. Hunger at worst ends in death, while riba is a fire and a long-

standing chastisement that is beyond shading-off. And, No, never

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will starvation be the end of the one who leaves riba in obedience

to Allah, for Allah says:

((--And for the one who fears Allah, He sets a way out for

him. And provides for him from (sources) he never could

imagine,-))8

And the prophet, may he be blessed, says:

“The one who leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah

compensates for that person with something better.”9

The promise of Allah always comes to pass. That person knows

who sincerely accepts the Pledge from Allah Most High.

Patience/Discipline is the keyword. The servant of Allah shall not

regret taking in halaal but shall regret immensely if he allows

haraam to enter his belly, and his regret might be too late!

May Allah guide us to all that, which he loves and accepts. May

Allah enrich us by His halaal against that which He has declared

haraam. Allah is the One who advocates such and is capable to

8
Talaaq; 02-03.
9
Sahih

20
cause it to happen. Allah knows Best. Peace and Blessings of

Allah upon the prophet, Muhammad.

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 “The prophet, peace upon him, has cursed the

one who benefits directly from riba, the one who

gives it, the one who writes it, the one who is a

witness to it; while adding that they all bear the

same burden”.10

“One dir-ham (kobo) of riba consumed by a man

(woman) while he knows it to be riba is a greater

offence with Allah than thirty-six acts of adultery by a

Muslim”. (Ahmad)

It should be remembered that all good and comfort enjoyed as a

result of haraam would soon be forgotten with the first pang of

death….

10
Muslim

22
The wise Muslim does not allow the love for wealth to make him

forget his Lord, Most High, his faith, his purpose in life, and his

ultimate end….

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