Tafsir of Surah Al-Baqarah - Verse 281

The Necessity of Taqwa and Avoiding Riba

Allah commands His believing servants to fear Him and warns them against what would bring them closer to His anger and drive them away from His pleasure. Allah said,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ

(O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah) meaning, fear Him and remember that He is watching all that you do.

وَذَرُواْ مَا بَقِىَ مِنَ الرِّبَواْ

(And give up what remains of Riba) meaning, abandon the Riba that people still owe you upon hearing this warning,

إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

(if you indeed have been believers) believing in the trade that He allowed you and the prohibition of Riba. Zayd bin Aslam, Ibn Jurayj, Muqatil bin Hayyan and As-Suddi said that this Ayah was revealed about Bani `Amr bin `Umayr, a sub-tribe of Thaqif, and Bani Al-Mughirah, from the tribe of Bani Makhzum, between whom were outstanding transactions of Riba leftover from time of Jahiliyyah. When Islam came and both tribes became Muslims, Thaqif required Bani Al-Mughirah to pay the Riba of that transaction, but Bani Al-Mughirah said, "We do not pay Riba in Islam." `Attab bin Usayd, the Prophet's deputy on Makkah, wrote to the Messenger of Allah about this matter. This Ayah was then revealed and the Messenger of Allah conveyed it to `Attab,

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

فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ فَأْذَنُواْ بِحَرْبٍ مّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ

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

They said, "We repent to Allah and abandon whatever is left of our Riba", and they all abandoned it This Ayah serves as a stern threat to those who continue to deal in Riba after Allah revealed this warning.

Riba Constitutes War Against Allah and His Messenger

Ibn Jurayj said that Ibn `Abbas said that,

فَأْذَنُواْ بِحَرْبٍ

(then take a notice of war) means, "Be sure of a war from Allah and His Messenger." He also said, "On the Day of Resurrection, those who eat Riba will be told, `take up arms for war."' He then recited,

فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ فَأْذَنُواْ بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ

(And if you do not do it, then take a notice of war from Allah and His Messenger.)

`Ali bin Abi Talhah said that Ibn `Abbas said about,

فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ فَأْذَنُواْ بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ

(And if you do not do it, then take a notice of war from Allah and His Messenger,) "Whoever kept dealing with Riba and did not refrain from it, then the Muslim Leader should require him to repent. If he still did not refrain from Riba, the Muslim Leader should cut off his head."

Allah then said,

وَإِن تُبتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَلِكُمْ لاَ تَظْلِمُونَ

(But if you repent, you shall have your capital sums. Deal not unjustly) by taking the Riba,

وَلاَ تُظْلَمُونَ

(And you shall not be dealt with unjustly) meaning, your original capital will not diminish. Rather, you will receive only what you lent without increase or decrease. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Amr bin Al-Ahwas said, "The Messenger of Allah gave a speech during the Farewell Hajj saying;

«أَلَا إِنَّ كُلَّ رِبًا كَانَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، مَوْضُوعٌ عَنْكُمْ كُلُّهُ، لَكُمْ رُؤُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُم لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَاتُظْلَمُونَ، وَأَوَّلُ رِبًا مَوْضُوعٍ، رِبَا الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَبْدِالْمُطَّلِبِ مَوْضُوعٌ كُلُّه»

(Verily, every case of Riba from the Jahiliyyah is completely annulled. You will only take back your capital, without increase or decrease. The first Riba that I annul is the Riba of Al-`Abbas bin `Abdul-Muttalib, all of it is annulled.)

Being Kind to Debtors Who Face Financial Difficulties

Allah said,

وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَى مَيْسَرَةٍ وَأَن تَصَدَّقُواْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

(And if the debtor is having a hard time, then grant him time till it is easy for him to repay; but if you remit it by way of charity, that is better for you if you did but know.) Allah commands creditors to be patient with debtors who are having a hard time financially,

وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَى مَيْسَرَةٍ

(And if the debtor is having a hard time (has no money), then grant him time till it is easy for him to repay.)

During the time of Jahiliyyah, when the debt came to term, the creditor would say to the debtor, "Either pay now or interest will be added to the debt."

Allah encouraged creditors to give debtors respite regarding their debts and promised all that is good, and a great reward from Him for this righteous deed,

وَأَن تَصَدَّقُواْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

(But if you remit it by way of charity, that is better for you if you did but know) meaning, if you forfeit your debts and cancel them completely.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Sulayman bin Buraydah said that his father said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say,

«مَنْ أَنْظَرَ مُعْسِرًا، فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلُهُ صَدَقَة»

(Whoever gives time to a debtor facing hard times, will gain charity of equal proportions for each day he gives.)

I also heard the Prophet say,

«مَنْ أَنْظَرَ مُعْسِرًا، فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلُهُ صَدَقَة»

(Whoever gives time to a debtor facing hard times, will earn charity multiplied two times for each day he gives.) I said, `O Messenger of Allah! I heard you say, `Whoever gives time to a debtor facing hard times, will gain charity of equal proportions for each day he gives.' I also heard you say, `Whoever gives time to a debtor facing hard times, will earn charity multiplied by two times for each day he gives.' He said,

«لَهُ بِكُلِّ يَومٍ مِثْلُهُ صَدَقَةٌ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحِلَّ الدَّيْنُ، فَإِذَا حَلَّ الدَّيْنُ فَأَنْظَرَهُ، فَلَهُ بِكُلِّ يَوْمٍ مِثْلَاهُ صَدَقَة»

(He will earn charity of equal proportions for each day (he gives time) before the term of the debt comes to an end, and when the term comes to an end, he will again acquire charity multiplied by two times for each day if he gives more time.)"

Ahmad recorded that Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi said that Abu Qatadah had a debt on a man, who used to hide from Abu Qatadah when he looked for him to pay what he owed him. One day, Abu Qatadah came looking for the debtor and a young boy came out, and he asked him about the debtor and found out that he was in the house eating. Abu Qatadah said in a loud voice, "O Fellow! Come out, for I was told that you are in the house." The man came out and Abu Qatadah asked him, "Why are you hiding from me" The man said, "I am having a hard time financially, and I do not have any money." Abu Qatadah said, "By Allah, are you truly facing a hard time" He said, "Yes." Abu Qatadah cried and said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say,

«مَنْ نَفَّسَ عَنْ غَرِيمِهِ أَوْ مَحَا عَنْهُ،كَانَ فِي ظِلِّ الْعَرْشِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَة»

(Whoever gives time to his debtor, or forgives the debt, will be in the shade of the Throne (of Allah) on the Day of Resurrection.)"

Muslim also recorded this Hadith in his Sahih.

Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la Al-Mawsili recorded that Hudhayfah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«أُتِيَ اللهُ بِعَبْدٍمِنْ عَبِيدِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ قَالَ: مَاذَا عَمِلْتَ لِي فِي الدُّنْيَا؟ فَقَالَ: مَا عَمِلْتُ لَكَ يَا رَبِّ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ فِي الدُّنْيَا أَرْجُوكَ بِهَا قَالَهَا ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ قَالَ الْعَبْدُعِنْدَ آخِرِهَا: يَا رَبِّ إِنَّكَ كُنْتَ أَعْطَيْتَنِي فَضْلَ مَالٍ، وَكُنْتُ رَجُلًا أُبَايِعُ النَّاسَ، وَكَانَ مِنْ خُلُقِي الْجَوازُ، فَكُنْتُ أُيَسِّرُ عَلَى الْمُوسِرِ وَأُنْظِرُ الْمُعْسِرَ، قَالَ: فَيَقُولُ اللهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ: أَنَا أَحَقُّ مَنْ يُيَسِّرُ، ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّة»

(On the Day of Resurrection, one of Allah's servants will be summoned before Him and He will ask him, "What deeds did you perform for Me in your life" He will say, "O Lord! In my life, I have not performed a deed for Your sake that equals an atom," three times. The third time, the servant will add, "O Lord! You granted me wealth and I used to be a merchant. I used to be lenient, giving easy terms to those well-off and giving time to the debtors who faced hard times." Allah will say, "I Am the Most Worthy of giving easy terms. Therefore, enter Paradise.")

Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Ibn Majah also recorded this Hadith from Hudhayfah, and Muslim recorded a similar wording from `Uqbah bin `Amir and Abu Mas`ud Al-Badri. Allah further advised His servants, by reminding them that this life will soon end and all the wealth in it will vanish. He also reminded them that the Hereafter will surely come, when the Return to Him will occur, and that He will hold His creation accountable for what they did, rewarding them or punishing them accordingly. Allah also warned them against His torment,

وَاتَّقُواْ يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ

(And have Taqwa for the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.)

It was reported that this was the last Ayah revealed from the Glorious Qur'an. An-Nasa'i recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "The last Ayah to be revealed from the Qur'an was,

وَاتَّقُواْ يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لاَ يُظْلَمُونَ

(And have Taqwa for the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah. Then every person shall be paid what he earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.")

This is the same narration reported by Ad-Dahhak and Al-`Awfi from Ibn `Abbas.

In the last verse (281), there appear again the subjects of the fear of the Last Day, its accounting, its rewards and punishment, at which end these verses containing the injunctions of ربا riba. It was said in this last verse:

وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا تُرْ‌جَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّـهِ ۖ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ ﴿281﴾

That is, fear a day on which all of you will be assembled be-fore Allah when everyone will be fully and equitably recompensed for his deeds and they will not be wronged.

Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that this verse is the last in the order of its revelation. No other verse was revealed after that. Thirty-one days later, the Holy Prophet ﷺ left this mortal world. There are other reports which say that this happened after only nine days.

Upto this point, the explanations have been restricted to the verses of Surah al-Baqarah which concern the injunctions of ربا riba. Dealing with the unlawfulness and prohibition of ربا riba, there are in the noble Qur'an seven verses of Surah a1-Baqarah cited above, one verse in Surah Al-` Imran and two verses in Surah al-Nisa'. There is yet another verse in Surah al-Rum the explanations of which differ. Some have taken it too in the sense of usury or interest, while others hold that it has some other connotation. Thus there are ten verses of the Holy Qur'an which carry the injunctions of ربا riba or interest.

Before we get to know the whole truth about ربا riba, it seems appropriate that the translation and explanation of the rest of the verses which appear in the Surahs Al-` Imran, al-Nisa' and al-Rum, should be given here so that it becomes easy for us to understand the true nature of ربا riba in the combined perspective of all these verses. Verse 130, of Surah Al-` Imran (3) reads as follows:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا الرِّ‌بَا أَضْعَافًا مُّضَاعَفَةً ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿130﴾

O those who believe, do not eat ربا Riba (usury or interest) multi-plied many times. And fear Allah, so that you may be successful.

There is a special event behind the revelation of this verse. In pre-Islam Arabia, the general pattern of ربا riba transactions was that loans were given on ربا riba for a set period of time; when that period expired and the borrower was unable to pay it back, he was given an extension of time on the condition that the amount of riba was to be increased. Similarly, if payment was not made even on the expiry of the second deadline, the amount of ربا riba was further increased. This fact is mentioned in general books of Tafsir, specially in Luba al-Nuqul, on the authority of Mujahid.

The verse was revealed to eradicate this inhuman custom of pre-Islam Arabia. Therefore, by saying (ad` afam'Muda'afata أَضْعَافًا مُّضَاعَفَةً multiplied many times) in the verse, their prevailing practice was condemned and they were warned on their selfishness and anti-community conduct, and naturally so, it was declared prohibited. This does not mean that ربا riba will not be prohibited if it happens not to be multiplied many times, because the absolute prohibition of ربا riba has been very clearly stated in Surah al-Baqarah and Surah al-Nisa', irrespective of its being doubled or multiplied many times. This is like it has been said at several places in the Holy Qur'an: لَا تَشْتَرُ‌وا بِآيَاتِي ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا (Do not take a paltry price in exchange of My verses). The expression 'paltry price' was used here to indicate that even if the kingdom of the whole world was taken in exchange for the Divinely revealed verses, the price will still be 'paltry.' It does not mean that taking a paltry price against the verses of the Qur'an is Haram, but taking a higher price would be permissible. Similarly, the expression أَضْعَافًا مُّضَاعَفَةً (multiplied many times), has been introduced only to focus attention on their shameful method and it is not a necessary condition for the prohibition.

Moreover, if we think about the prevalent methods of ربا riba, we will reach the conclusion that once the habit of taking ربا riba is settled, the ربا riba does not remain simple ربا riba anymore; it necessarily becomes doubled and multiplied because the amount accrued from ربا riba becomes a part of the total amount owned by the creditor and, when he further circulates this additional amount of ربا riba on interest or usury, the ربا riba becomes multiplied. Should this chain action go on building up, nothing can stop it from becoming : أَضْعَافًا مُّضَاعَفَةً (multiplied many times). This way every ربا riba will end up increasing several times.

Having dealt with verse 130 of Surah Al-` Imran, let us now look at the two verses, 160 and 161 of Surah al-Nisa' which concern ربا riba. These are as follows:

فَبِظُلْمٍ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّ‌مْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيِّبَاتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ وَبِصَدِّهِمْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ كَثِيرً‌ا ﴿160﴾ وَأَخْذِهِمُ الرِّ‌بَا وَقَدْ نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَأَكْلِهِمْ أَمْوَالَ النَّاسِ بِالْبَاطِلِ ۚ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِ‌ينَ مِنْهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا ﴿161﴾

So, for the transgression of those who became Jews, We prohibited for them the good things earlier made lawful for them and for their preventing (people) frequently from the way of Allah, and for their taking ربا riba (usury or interest) while they were forbidden from it, and for their eating up the properties of the people by false means. And We have prepared, for the disbelievers among them, a painful punishment.

These two verses tell us that ربا riba was equally prohibited under the law of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) .When the Jews opposed it, they were appropriately punished in their worldly life when they started devouring the unlawful just out of greed for the mortal gains of the world, consequently then, Allah Almighty declared some lawful things prohibited for them.

Verse 39 of Section 4 in Surah al-Rum is as follows:

وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن رِّ‌بًا لِّيَرْ‌بُوَ فِي أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْ‌بُو عِندَ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن زَكَاةٍ تُرِ‌يدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّـهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُضْعِفُونَ ﴿39﴾

And what you give in usury, that it may increase upon the people's wealth, increases not with God; but what you give in alms, desiring God's Face, - they shall receive recompense manifold. (30:39)

Some commentators have taken this verse, like others mentioned earlier, to be dealing with interest or usury in view of the use of the word ربا riba meaning 'increase' in the text. According to them, the verse means that money does seem to increase apparently by taking interest, but in fact, it does not. It is like the case of a person whose body gets swollen. Obviously this 'increases' his -body but no sane person would be happy with this sort of 'increase'. On the contrary, he would regard it as death in the offing. As compared to this, the giving of زکاۃ Zakah and صدقہ sadaqah does seem to decrease the wealth apparently, but that is no decrease in fact, rather on the contrary, it is the source of thousands of increases. It is like someone who takes purgative as system-cleanser or lets blood as a therapeutic measure; he looks weak on the outside and seems to miss something in his body but those who know regard this 'decrease' to be a fore-runner of his 'increase' in health and strength.

According to some scholars of tafsir, this verse does not refer to the prohibition of usury or interest at all, rather, the word ربا 'riba-' used in that verse refers to a gift presented to someone, not in good faith, but with the intention that it would bring back some better gift in return from the receiver. The gifts of this type are in vogue in some communities at the time of marital ceremonies Since this type of giving is to seek selfish ends and not to seek the pleasure of Allah Almighty, therefore, it was said in the verse that by doing so your wealth may seem to increase, but actually it does not increase with Allah, while that which is given as زکاۃ Zakah and صدقہ sadaqat to seek the pleasure of Allah Almighty goes on to double and redouble with Allah.

According to this explanation, the sense of the verse will match with what was said addressing the Holy Prophet ﷺ in another verse (74:6): وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ‌ that is, do not do favour to anyone with the intention that it may bring to you some added benefit in return.

This second explanation appears to be obviously weightier in connection with this verse of Surah al-Rum. Firstly, because Surah al-Rum is Makki. Although, it is not necessary that every verse in a Makki Surahs is revealed in Makkah, yet there exists strong probability that it is so unless proved otherwise. And in case the verse is Makki, it cannot be interpreted to carry the sense of the prohibition of ربا riba because the prohibition of ربا riba came by revelation in Madinah. In addition to this, the subject dealt with earlier than this verse also indicates a tilt towards this explanation. There it was said:

فَآتِ ذَا الْقُرْ‌بَىٰ حَقَّهُ وَالْمِسْكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ‌ لِّلَّذِينَ يُرِ‌يدُونَ وَجْهَ اللَّـهِ

which means: 'Give to the relative his due, and to the poor and the wayfarer. This is better for those who seek the pleasure of Allah.'

In this verse, it has been stated that spending on relatives, the poor and the wayfarers can become an act of ثواب thawab only on the condition that the intention behind it should be that of seeking the pleasure of Allah Almighty. Then, following that, in the verse under discussion, it was further explained that financial help given to someone with the hope that it will bring back greater return from the receiver of the help is certainly no spending in the way of Allah where the purpose is hardly to seek His pleasure. As a result, this will bring no ثواب thawab.

Anyhow, there are, beside this particular verse, several other verses cited earlier which do deal with the prohibition of ربا riba. Out of these, there is the verse from Surah Al-` Imran which prohibits doubled and multiplied ربا riba; the rest of the verses state the prohibition of riba as such. These details, at the least, clear this much that ربا riba is حرام haram (unlawful) anyway, be it doubled and multiplied, simple or compound. It may be kept in mind that the degree of its being حرام haram is so severe that a declaration of war has been made on behalf of Allah and His Messenger against those who challenge the injunction.

However, the imposition of law alone is not a guarantee of social reforms. For a real reform it is essential that the spirit of God-fearing (taqwa) prevails in society. That is why, while giving legal commands, the Quran places faith, taqwa and the Hereafter in the foreground. Even a secular system will run successfully only when its citizens possess the necessary national character. Similarly, the Islamic system is truly brought into being when a considerable number of its members possess the spirit of taqwa. National character, or taqwa is, in fact, another name for the willingness of the individuals to uphold the desired system. If we do not find public acceptance of a system to a certain degree, it cannot be imposed by the power of law alone. Furthermore, according to Islam, what is actually most desirable is the reform of the individual. Society is not the target of reform according to Islam. The reform of society is only a by-product. The Quran calls to faith, to taqwa, to genuine concern for the Hereafter. This call is realized in the individual and not in a social system. That is why the actual addressee of the Quranic call is the individual. The reform of society is in actual fact a social manifestation of the reform of a number of individuals.