AskImamDarul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah (AskImam)

References from Quran and Hadith regarding the paying of Interest

Fatwa 47926English
Finance and Commerce

Question

Assalamualykum wa rahmatuallahi wa barakatuh. Dear Mufti sahib in Shaa ALLAH I pray you are doing good. Dear sheikh my friend recently told me that he had found many references and evidence from the Quran and Hadith which prohibits the consumption of interest riba. His question is that if there are any references also explicitly prohibiting the paying of interest. He says that payee of the interest is Mazloom and has no choice therefore it is not haram.

Sheikh would you be able to help me regarding this issue by sharing some references from Quran and Hadith regarding the paying of interest is haram. I pray ALLAH grants me knowledge and grants us jannat. JazakALLAH. Wassalam. Shaikh Shaiyan Ahmed

Answer

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The prohibition of interest has been explicitly mentioned in the Quran and Hadith.

Allah says:

Translation:

O you who believe! Fear Allah and give up what remains (due to you) from Riba, if you are (really) believers. And if you do not do it, then take a notice of war from Allah and His Messenger. [1]

In reference to the above quoted verse: Imam Bukhari (رحمه الله) has specifically highlighted the prohibition of paying of interest as follows and from the following hadith:

Chapter pertaining to (the prohibition) of the payer of interest

Translation:

It has been narrated by `Aun bin Abu Juhaifa:

My father bought a slave who practiced the profession of cupping. (My father broke the slave’s instruments of cupping). I asked my father why he had done so.

He replied, “Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) forbade the acceptance of the price of a dog or blood, and also forbade the profession of tattooing, getting tattooed and receiving or giving Riba, (usury), and cursed the picture-makers.”[2]

The purpose of highlighting the prohibition of payer of interest was to indicate to the fact that the payer is facilitating the haram transaction of interest and assisting in sin which is prohibited.[3]

Allah سبحانه و تعالى (Glory be to him) says in the Quran:

“Cooperate with one another in righteousness and piety, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression”[4]

It has also been recorded in Sahih Muslim:

Translation:

Jabir (رضي الله عنه) said that Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) cursed the:

1. accepter of interest

2. and it’s payer,

3. and one who records it,

4. and its two witnesses,

and he said: They are all equal.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Shaheed Rashid Shaikh

Student Darul Iftaa
New Jersey, USA

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

﴿يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَذَرُواْ مَا بَقِىَ مِنَ الرِّبَواْ إِن كُنتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِينَ ﴾

فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ فَأْذَنُواْ بِحَرْبٍ مّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ

باب موكل الربا

عَنْ عَوْنِ بْنِ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ، قَالَ رَأَيْتُ أَبِي اشْتَرَى عَبْدًا حَجَّامًا، فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ نَهَى النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ ثَمَنِ الْكَلْبِ، وَثَمَنِ الدَّمِ، وَنَهَى عَنِ الْوَاشِمَةِ وَالْمَوْشُومَةِ، وَآكِلِ الرِّبَا، وَمُوكِلِهِ، وَلَعَنَ الْمُصَوِّرَ‏.‏

"وتعاونوا على البر والتقوى, ولا تعاونوا على الاثم و العدوان"

عَنْ جَابِرٍ(رضي الله عنه)، قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم آكِلَ الرِّبَا وَمُوكِلَهُ وَكَاتِبَهُ وَشَاهِدَيْهِ وَقَالَ هُمْ سَوَاءٌ .[5]‏

[1] سورة البقرة (278-279)

عمدة القارى شرح صحيح البخاري(9/335)

Allama Al-‘Aini (رحمه الله) has stated in his commentary of Sahih-ul-Bukhari, that the context of the above quoted verse was regarding Banu ‘Amr from Thaqeef and Banu Mughirah from Banu Makhzoom as they had deal of interest from the pre-Islamic era. After they had entered into Islam, there was a dispute that occurred between the two tribes; Banu Mughirah stated: we will not pay the interest in Islam, so the matter was taken to Rasulullah(صلى الله عليه وسلم) , then the verse (stated above) was revealed showing that any type of interest remaining must be abolished completely

[2] صحيح البخاري (3/ 59)

2086 - حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الوَلِيدِ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ عَوْنِ بْنِ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ، قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ أَبِي اشْتَرَى عَبْدًا حَجَّامًا، فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ: «[ص:60] نَهَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنْ ثَمَنِ الكَلْبِ وَثَمَنِ الدَّمِ، وَنَهَى عَنِ الوَاشِمَةِ وَالمَوْشُومَةِ، وَآكِلِ الرِّبَا وَمُوكِلِهِ، وَلَعَنَ المُصَوِّرَ

[3] الأبواب والتراجم لصحيح البخاري (3/574)

Al-Shaykh Al-Muhaddith Muhammad Zakariyya ibn Yahya Zakariyya Al-Kandhlawi (رحمهما الله) has quoted from Laami’ Ad-Daraari that the indication made under this specific chapter in the Sahih of Imam Bukhari is that the payer of interest is the facilitator for the one consuming interest in not abiding by what he has been commanded

[4] سورة المائدة (2)

[5] صحيح مسلم (3/ 1219)

106 - (1598) حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الصَّبَّاحِ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَعُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، قَالُوا: حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ: «لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ آكِلَ الرِّبَا، وَمُؤْكِلَهُ، وَكَاتِبَهُ، وَشَاهِدَيْهِ»، وَقَالَ: «هُمْ سَوَاءٌ»

شرح القواعد الفقهية (ص: 215)

(الْقَاعِدَة الثَّالِثَة وَالثَّلَاثُونَ (الْمَادَّة / 34))

(" مَا حرم أَخذه حرم إِعْطَاؤُهُ ")

(أَولا _ الشَّرْح)

معنى هَذِه الْقَاعِدَة أَن الشَّيْء الْمحرم الَّذِي لَا يجوز لأحد أَن يَأْخُذهُ ويستفيد مِنْهُ يحرم عَلَيْهِ أَيْضا أَن يقدمهُ لغيره وَيُعْطِيه إِيَّاه سَوَاء أَكَانَ على سَبِيل المنحة ابْتِدَاء أم على سَبِيل الْمُقَابلَة، وَذَلِكَ لِأَن إعطاءه الْغَيْر عندئذ يكون من قبيل الدعْوَة إِلَى الْمحرم أَو الْإِعَانَة والتشجيع عَلَيْهِ، فَيكون الْمُعْطِي شريك الْفَاعِل. وَمن الْمُقَرّر شرعا أَنه كَمَا لَا يجوز فعل الْحَرَام لَا يجوز الْإِعَانَة والتشجيع عَلَيْهِ، لقَوْله تَعَالَى: {وتعاونوا على الْبر وَالتَّقوى وَلَا تعاونوا على الْإِثْم والعدوان}

(أ) كَمَا يحرم أَخذ الرِّبَا يحرم إِعْطَاؤُهُ..

Answered by
Shaheed Rashid Shaikh
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
View original Ask AskImam directly

Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah (AskImam). It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, ask the issuing Darul Ifta directly.