Riba

One borrows a person Rs.10,000 for a certain period. But one asks him to return Rs.11,000 The extra Rs.1,000 that one is asking for is Riba. This is what is termed interest. Loans that people take from the bank are purely Riba.

Riba is Haraam. It is a very grave practice. One does not have the right to give or take interest nor is it permissible to be a witness to an interest transaction. The person who drafts a contract of interest is also guilty. Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) has cursed them all. Riba is a practice that ruins the life of a person. How can a person who is involved in Riba expect cheerfulness or joy in his life when day and night the curse of Allah Ta'ala and his Rasul (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) is on him?

A person who is truly dignified will not dare to contract an interest transaction. This is because according to the Hadith, it is much more serious than adultery. It is like committing adultery with one’s mother. And according to the Hadith, this is the least gravity. That is Riba has 72 degrees of gravity and this one is the least. There are still 71 more degrees that are more serious than this. If the least is such, then how will be the one which is more serious than this!

To lend money to someone who is in difficulty is a very meritorious action. One must not ask for anything extra in return. On the contrary, if possible, one must decrease the amount or forgive the person if one sees that he is having difficulties to repay it.

But one does not have the right to use this act of lending money as a means to get any advantage. To such an extent that it is not permissible to accept any gift, privilege or service from the person whom one has borrowed money. This is also an interest and it is Haraam. For example, one lent someone money to buy a car. It is very normal that if one asks him for his car for an outing, he will lend his car. According to the Shariah, one does not have the right to cause him such an embarrassment. This is also interest. Likewise one does not have the right to accept a free trip from him unless there was already an informal relationship from before.

[English version of "Riba" – Al Jamiat – Vol.6 No.3]