'Riba': Unjust Enrichment is Illegal

“O you who believe! 

Do not consume usury, 

doubled and multiplied, 

but fear Allah 

that you may be successful.” 

 --(Al-Imran, 3: 131).

“Those who consume interest 

cannot stand (on the Day of Resurrection)

except as one stands 

who is being beaten by Satan

into insanity.” 

  --(Al-Baqara 2: 276).

Interest or more precisely, interest rate is defined as the price of money, the price at which money can be borrowed and determined like other prices by the collusion of the forces of supply and demand. Originally usury was any premium we had to pay against the use of currency. Nowadays, usury also means the practice of asking for a very high interest premium through borrowing as well.

The verses which I recited consist of an injunction for mankind – especially Muslims – that represents and severely condemns the practice of usury or interest. Thus any transaction relating to usury (i.e. Riba) is illegal, as well as all transactions acquired by illegal means; Transactions such as: bribes, fraudulent transactions, gambling, bank interest, etc. 

'Never Despair; Face All Situations'

The existence of man is not due to chance. His presence on earth either is not without purpose. His creation is a divine decree for specific purposes. Undoubtedly, and without exaggeration, he is the only creature that Allah the Supreme Creator, has preferred to others. 

“Verily, we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.” (Al-Isra, 17: 71).

His superiority over other creatures is manifested in various ways: Allah granted him free will, and he has a mind that allows him to distinguish good from evil. Moreover he has a soul which Allah has created and which Allah has ordered to the angel to breathe in his body to make it human. Allah has made His own praise in His blessed Book, when He describes the stages of the creation of man: 

“We created man from an extract of clay. 

Then We placed him as a drop of sperm in a secure receptacle. 

Then we made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot; 

and then We made the clinging clot a lump of flesh; 

and We made (from) the lump, bones,

and We covered the bones with flesh;

then We developed him into another creation.

So blessed is Allah, the best of Creators.” 

  ---(Al-Mu’minuun, 23: 13-15).

Therefore, man must recognize his value and supremacy over all other creatures. He is an unparalleled elect (from among all the creations of Allah). His soul, and his body are all a favour from the Great Creator, a wonderful gift. He is responsible to preserve, to protect and refrain from causing them (i.e. his body and soul) any harm. 

But since man ignores all these realities, the existence of man on earth becomes something meaningless to him and does not represent any value in his eyes. He considers himself a creature similar to others, with a beginning and an end. Nothing more. This way of thinking is the main cause of the loss of thousands, if not millions of lives. How many nations were exterminated from the first one to the last for no good (valid) reason?

Why do Muslims offer Prayer?

“And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humble in spirit, 

Who know for certain that they shall meet their Lord and that they shall return to Him.” (Al-Baqara, 2: 46-47).

Prayer (Salat) is a spiritual purification through which Muslims are required to undergo five times a day. Prayer is an integral part of Islam and is thus incumbent upon every sincere Muslim believer. Prayer enables Muslims to affirm five times per day the Unity and attributes of Allah, and their belief in Muhammad (pbuh), His Messenger. Prayer is therefore a part of the everyday affairs of the Muslim – he has been commanded by God Almighty to pray in the morning before sunrise, prayer is also ordained for him just after midday, a third in the afternoon, a fourth just after sunset, and a fifth in the evening before going to bed. Prayer is thus the first daily preoccupation of a Muslim and also his last. Prayer enables man, even when at his busiest, to disengage himself from worldly affairs in order to remember his Maker. Whilst Islam emphasises the accountability of each and every individual to Allah, it allows for the weaknesses and imperfection of man.

Although one is supposed to pray five times a day, allowances are made for those whose work schedules are such that they cannot break off at the required times of day. Thus, certain prayers can be combined and said together. Furthermore, if one is ill or on a journey, concessions are made so that the number of prayers are reduced, or in the case of illness, the actual form of prayer may be changed. For example, Instead of standing for prayer, the sick person may sit down to pray and if he is unable to do even that, he can lie down on the bed to pray.

God: Atheistic Fallacies

“Eyes cannot reach Him but He reaches the eyes. And He is the Incomprehensible, the All-Aware.” (Al-Anam, 6: 104).

In this verse, God draws the attention of man to the fact that his eyes are not capable of seeing Him, for He is Subtle and subtle things cannot be perceived by the eyes. What then is the way of knowing God? He answers this question by saying; “but He reaches the eyes”, i.e., though the eye of man is not capable of seeing Him, yet He reveals Himself to man by a display of His powers and by a manifestation of His attributes. Manifold are the ways in which He reveals Himself to man. He displays His unlimited power, sometimes by terror-striking signs, sometimes through prophets, sometimes by signs of mercy, and sometimes by accepting prayer.

Of all the doctrines and beliefs that have been subjected to in this age of materialism, the greatest is the belief in the existence of God. The idolater sets up other gods with God, but he believes at least in the existence of God. The atheist, however, denies the very existence of the Supreme Being. As in the present day science everything is based on observation, hence the demand of the Atheist is: If there is a God, show Him to us. How can we believe in Him without seeing Him?

As Western influences have gone a long way towards effacing from the hearts of many young people the imprint of the Divine Being and hundreds of college students, barristers, etc., have begun to deny the existence of God, and there are thousands of persons, who, through refraining from an open declaration of their views through fear of the community, have really no faith in Him, therefore Allah inspired me to write this sermon so that some fortunate soul may derive benefit from it.

'Talaq': Use and Abuse of Divine Law

“And if you fear dissension between the two, send an arbitrator from his people, and an arbitrator from her people. If they both desire reconciliation, Allah will cause it between them. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Acquainted.” 

                 ----(An-Nisa 4: 36).

My Friday Sermon (Jumu’ah Khutba) today is on the subject of divorce (Al-Talaq).

Islam places great emphasis on marriage in the sense that it is a sacred contract that cannot be broken for vain and trivial reasons.

Although Talaq (divorce/ repudiation) is allowed, it must be considered that from among everything which is allowed, Talaq (divorce) is the most hated thing, the most abhorred by Allah and it is permitted insofar that it does no unjust damage. 

It should in no way be used as part of some ruse which acts as a pretext for divorce. It can happen that the husband does not like a particular behaviour of his wife and that he has had enough of her. This is not sufficient to justify his request for divorce (Talaq). He must not consider only the negative side of his wife but on the contrary he must assess her good qualities that may well be greater than the defects. A separation may as well have a detrimental effect on the behaviour of the couple’s children (if any) who may become easy prey for Satan.

Privacy Matters: Islamic Approaches

Islam does not rush to impose sanctions on its citizens indiscriminately. Instead, Islamic precepts are very firm in relation to the protection of the privacy of individuals which is considered sacred. Islam does not put up surveillance systems, police, cameras to film people and spy on them and scrutinize them through.

Abu Dawud and Al-Hakim reported from Zayd Ibn Wahb: Once a man said to (Abdullah) Ibn Mas’ud (ra): 

“This man, Al-Walid Ibn ‘Uqbah, seems to be drunk for the traces of wine appears on his beard.” Ibn Mas’ud replied: ‘We have been prohibited from spying (on Muslims) and finding faults (with them). But if something become manifests to us (i.e. Had Al-Walid come to us in the situation you have described), then we punish for it.’”

It is reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said: “When the ruler starts searching for the causes of suspicions among the people he perverts them.” (Abu Dawud, Al-Hakim).

We also note that the explicit prophetic teachings greatly encourage the believer to cover himself (i.e. to keep his mistakes and sins to himself) and to cover others. 

(Abdullah) Ibn Umar reported that after sanctioning the transgression of Maa’iz bin Malik Al-Aslami, the Messenger of God (pbuh) said: “Refrain from this blemish (fornication/ adultery) that God has forbidden. If however one of you is involved in it, it is covered by God’s secret (that is to say, let him keep for himself the secret without disclosing it) and (he should) repent to God. Indeed, anyone who informs us of his crime (i.e. confesses it) should be punished according to the Book of God.”

Man and the Battles of the Heart

“The day whereon neither money nor children will avail, except him who comes to God with a sound heart.” (Ash-Shu’ara, 26: 89-90).

On Judgement Day, only a sound (pure) heart (Qalbun Saliim) shall benefit man. By a sound heart, it means a heart that holds the faith taught by God and His prophets (as) and which is free of any form of polytheism (Shirk). It is also, like I am telling you “a heart that is pure from all kinds of dirt, including disobedience.”

The heart is continually exposed to the seductions of this world. When the heart is imbued with the fear of God, it manages to resist these temptations. But in the absence of that awe, the heart will be corrupted and will push the individual to disobey his Creator.

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “Temptations will be presented to men's hearts as reed mat is woven stick by stick and any heart which is impregnated by them will have a black mark put into it, but any heart which rejects them will have a white mark put in it. The result is that there will become two types of hearts: one white like a white stone which will not be harmed by any turmoil or temptation, so long as the heavens and the earth endure; and the other black and dust-coloured like a vessel which is upset (turned upside down), not recognizing what is good or rejecting what is abominable, but being impregnated with passion.” (Muslim).

Man must throughout his life wage a merciless battle against the seductions and temptations of this world. To achieve this, he must strengthen himself through acts of worship.