سود کا وبال

Narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "On the night I was taken on the Mi'raj (the Ascension), I passed by a group of people whose bellies were like houses, filled with snakes that could be seen from outside. I asked Jibra'il (peace be upon him), 'Who are these people (afflicted with such a torment)?' He replied, 'These are the people who devoured usury (interest).'"

The prohibition of interest (riba) in Islam is no hidden or obscure matter. Anyone born into a Muslim household knows at least this much: that interest is forbidden in Islam. Even non-Muslims are not unaware of this broad fact. It is also well known that the practice of usury is nothing new in the world. It was going on before Islam, in the age of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) too: it was widespread among the Quraysh of Makkah and the Jews of Madinah, and among them dealings in interest went on not only for personal and family needs but also for commercial purposes. The new thing that has emerged within the last two centuries is this: since the merchants of Europe came to power in the world, they gave the usurious business of the moneylenders and the Jews new forms and new names and made it so common that today it has come to be regarded as the backbone of economics, finance and trade, and superficial observers have begun to feel that no trade, industry or economic system can function at all without interest — even though those who truly understand the field, and the people of Europe who rise a little above blind imitation of their surroundings and examine matters with a broad vision, have also concluded that interest is not the backbone of the economy but rather a worm that has lodged in the backbone, and until it is removed the world's economy cannot come to balance.

Every Muslim knows that in the Qur'an and the Hadith interest has been clearly declared forbidden. The Qur'an and the Hadith contain the severest of warnings regarding interest, such as are not found concerning any other sin. The first verse in the Holy Qur'an that hints at interest being disliked is the following verse of Surah Ar-Rum:

"That which you give in usury so that it may increase upon the wealth of people does not increase with Allah; but that which you give as zakat, seeking Allah's pleasure — those are the ones who truly multiply their wealth." (Ar-Rum – 39)

Surah Ar-Rum is among the surahs revealed before the Hijrah; from this we understand that even before the detailed rulings of the Shariah came, the Holy Qur'an had already warned the Muslims that interest is undesirable.

The severity with which interest is disliked in Islam can also be gauged from the fact that in an Islamic state a disbeliever may live in peace and security and observe all his religious affairs, yet even he is not permitted to conduct a business of interest.

On the Night of Ascension the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was shown many things of the unseen world; in this connection some scenes of Paradise and Hell were also shown to him, so that he himself might attain, after the certainty of knowledge (haqq al-yaqin), the station of certainty by sight (ayn al-yaqin), and so that on the basis of his own observation he could inform people of punishment and reward. In this connection the Messenger of Allah ﷺ also saw the scene mentioned in the above hadith: that the bellies of some people are as large as a good-sized house, filled with snakes that onlookers can see from outside; and when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ enquired, Jibra'il (peace be upon him) told him that these are the people who take and consume interest, who have been afflicted with this terrifying punishment. May Allah grant us all the ability to keep away from it. Amin.