In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Lie # 1: Interest, as such, Prohibited

1. The Qur'aan prohibits (verse 2.275) what it terms, in Arabic, as Ar-Riba.

2. True to the divine claim in the Holy Book that everything is fully explained therein itself (verses 10.37, 12.111, 17.89), Ar-Riba is indeed defined in verse 30.39 of the Book.

3. In terms of the said verse 30.39, the divinely prohibited Ar-Riba is the gain that is sought to be made by anyone, in any transaction, by usurping what rightfully belongs to others.

4. It is a very wide-ranging definition covering all worldly transactions among human beings. But to give one example, suppose I employ someone to do a jobwork for me. If the just compensation for that jobwork is Rs.1000/-, but I pay, say Rs.600/- only, then I am making an undue gain in my wealth by usurping Rs.400/- that rightfully belongs to the jobworker. I am indulging in Ar-Riba!

5. The divine injunction against Ar-Riba is the divine injunction against all economic ills. But unfortunately, there is a widespread misunderstanding of this divine injunction. And most of our Moulvis (Muslim religious leaders), who never tire of declaring from their housetops that interest is haraam (prohibited), are blissfully ignorant of the real divinely-prohibited Ar-Riba growing luxuriantly in their own backyards.

6. Such Moulvis wrongly interpret Ar-Riba as Interest, such as that the Banks give and take. Despite the categorical divine statement in the Qur'aan, that everything is explained therein, the Moulvis blasphemously say that Ar-Riba is not explained therein. They therefore give their own man-made interpretation of Ar-Riba as Interest!

7. Interest, as such, being the pro-rata sum total of the expenses incurred by the Banks plus their legitimate profit margin, is not prohibited in the Qur'aan. The man-made interpretation of Ar-Riba as Interest is therefore a lie concocted against Allah!

Mohammad Shafi




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