Usury (riba)

Ahmad bin Mani' (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated from Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in a gathering of the Ansar, on a Thursday night in Ramadan, and after that Ramadan he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not live to see another Ramadan (that is, it was his last Ramadan), saying: 'Barley for barley, measure (qafiz) for equal measure, and hand to hand; and whatever exceeds that is usury (riba).'" (And the rest of) the hadith. The basis of this narration is in Sahih Muslim, with a different wording and without these additional words.

Imam Abu Ya'la narrated through Ibrahim bin al-Hajjaj, Sukayn bin Abd al-Aziz and Abd al-Mu'min that Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, salt for salt and dates for dates, (the exchange) must be like for like and equal in measure. So whoever gives more (in quantity) or demands more has certainly committed usury (riba)."

It is narrated from Abu al-Zubayr al-Makki that he asked Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) about buying wheat for dates with an unequal amount in a hand-to-hand transaction. He said: "In the blessed time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we used to buy one sa' of wheat for six sa' of dates, hand to hand. However, if it is a single kind, then there is no good in it without equality, except that they are like for like."

Musaddad, Hafs bin Ghiyath and Abu al-Awwam al-Basri narrated from Ata' that he said: "Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to sell date palms to his slaves for a period of one year, two years and three years. Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke to him about this, whereupon Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: 'Do you not know that there is no usury (riba) between a slave and his master?'"

It is narrated from Abu Ma'bad that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to sell fruit to his slaves before it became fit to eat, and he did not consider the ruling of usury (riba) to apply between himself and his slave.

Imam Ishaq narrated, through the chain of Ya'la bin Ubayd, Muhammad bin al-Sa'ib and Salamah bin al-Sa'ib, from Sayyiduna Abu Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him), the freed slave of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said: We fell into hardship, so in the year in which Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was made caliph, I took my wife's two anklets. Then I met Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and he asked: "What is this?" I said: The household needs money for expenses. He said: "I have silver coins, for which I want silver (jewellery)." Then he called for a scale, placed the two anklets in one pan and put the silver coins in the other pan, and the anklets turned out to be heavier by about one daniq. So he cut that off to make them equal. I said: O Caliph of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! This (excess part) is lawful for you! At this he said: "O Abu Rafi'! Even if you declare it lawful, Allah Almighty does not make it lawful. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: 'Gold for gold must be of equal weight, and silver for silver must be of equal weight; the one who gives extra and the one for whom extra is given will both be in the Fire.'" Al-Nadr bin Muhammad narrated something similar through Muhammad bin al-Sa'ib, Ibn al-Sa'ib and Usamah bin Zayd from Sayyiduna Abu Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him). Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah also mentioned it through the chain of Ya'la bin Ubayd; al-Harith narrated it through Abd al-Wahhab bin Ata' from Muhammad bin al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi; and Abu Ya'la also recorded this same narration through al-Qawariri and Yazid bin Harun with the chain of al-Kalbi.

Ishaq narrated, through the chain of Abu Amir al-Aqadi, from Abu Qays: "Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to the commanders of the armies in Syria: You have descended into a land where usury (riba) is widespread, so do not sell gold for gold except exactly equal in weight, nor silver for silver except exactly equal in weight, nor food grain for food grain except exactly equal in measure."
I (Ibn Hajar) say: Muhammad bin al-Sa'ib is in fact Ibn al-Kalbi, who is completely matruk (abandoned). Imam Ishaq narrated his hadith because it has a basis, and he cited as supporting evidence the mawquf narration mentioned after it. He also said that there is no harm in its chain. I think that Abu Qays is the freed slave of Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him), from whom Ali bin Rabah heard. And I do not know whether he heard this directly from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) or read it in his letter.

Ishaq narrated through Abd al-Samad bin Abd al-Warith, Zayd bin Murrah Abu al-Mu'alla and Abu Sa'id al-Raqashi that Ikrimah, the freed slave of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), came to Basrah, and we sat in his gathering in the Friday mosque. He said: "Will you not stop this elder of yours, that is, al-Hasan bin Abi al-Hasan (al-Hasan al-Basri)? He claims that the hand-to-hand sale people make of silver for silver and gold for gold in cash is unlawful, whereas I testify that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) declared it lawful." Abu Sa'id said: I said to him: "Woe to you! Do you not know that (once) I was sitting at the head of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and you were sitting at his feet, when a man came and stood by you. I asked: What do you need? He said: I want to ask Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) about selling gold for gold. I said: Go (and ask), for his view is that there is no harm in it. (Hearing this) Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) removed the turban from his face, then sat up and said: 'Astaghfirullah' (I seek forgiveness from Allah). By Allah! I used to think that anything Muslims trade hand to hand is only lawful. (But later) I heard from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar and Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them); they had preserved from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) on this matter what I had not memorised. 'Wa astaghfirullah' (And I seek forgiveness from Allah)."

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Mulaykah that he heard Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), three days before his death, saying: "'Astaghfirullaha wa atubu ilayh' (I seek forgiveness from Allah and repent to Him) for (my view on) sarf (that is, the issue of exchanging gold and silver for each other)."

Muhammad bin Bakr narrated through Isma'il bin Abd al-Malik and Ata' that more than ten Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and said: "We are older than you and have more knowledge than you of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Have you considered that you declare the sarf sale (currency exchange) permissible? Yet we ourselves heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbidding it." Then he mentioned the hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him). This narration is in the Sahih; however, the imams of hadith did not record this wording with the mention of such a large number of Companions, and the scholars of hadith have criticised the narrator Isma'il in its chain.

It is narrated from Qatadah: I asked Sa'id bin al-Musayyib about taking two live goats in exchange for one live goat. He said that a man had asked Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), whereupon Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Indeed, the last ruling Allah Almighty sent down was the verse of usury (riba), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away from this world before he explained it (in detail). So leave usury and also everything in which there is doubt (of usury)!" I (Ibn Hajar) say: Ibn Majah recorded this narration without the opening question.

Ishaq narrated through Jarir, Mansur, Abu Wajzah al-Sa'di and Sa'id bin al-Musayyib from Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I had some low-grade dates, and with them I bought from the market better dates, half their measure. Then I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and told him what I had done, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Go and take back your dates and return these (better dates)!" So I did so. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Dates for dates must be like for like, wheat for wheat like for like, barley for barley like for like, salt for salt like for like, gold for gold equal in weight, and silver for silver equal in weight; so whatever exceeds this equality is usury (riba)!" This narration has a supporting report (shahid) in the Sahih from the hadith of Sayyiduna Ubadah bin al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him). Also, this chain is hasan (good), except that Sa'id bin al-Musayyib's hearing from Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) is not established. Abu Ya'la also narrated it through Abu Khaythamah and Jarir with the same preceding chain.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Some dates belonging to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were (kept) with me. Then I found dates better than them, so I bought them by giving two sa' (of ordinary dates) for one sa' (of the good dates). Then I brought them to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he asked: "O Bilal! Where did you get these from?" I said: I bought one sa' (of the good dates) for two sa' (of ordinary dates). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Return it (or he said: Give it back) and get our dates back for us!"

Musaddad narrated through Yahya, Sufyan, Hammad, Abu Salih and Shurayh that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "A dirham is exchanged for a dirham (on the basis of equality), and whatever excess there is between the two is usury (riba)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah and Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the two of them said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon to us, and mentioned a long hadith in which there is also this: "And whoever consumes usury (riba), Allah Almighty will fill his belly with fire in proportion to the usury he consumed; and if he earned wealth through it, Allah Almighty will not accept any of his deeds; and as long as even one qirat of it remains with him, he will continue to be under the curse of Allah Almighty and His angels."

It is narrated from Ibrahim: "Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) had some worm-eaten (weevil-infested) dates, so he sold two sa' (of those dates) for one sa'. (The rest of) the hadith."

Musaddad narrated with his chain that Yazid bin Abd al-Rahman al-Suhaymi, who was one of the companions in the gatherings of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), said: I asked him, that is, Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), about buying two goats for one goat on credit (for a fixed term). He said: "No, (it is not permissible) unless the deal is hand to hand (that is, in cash)."

Abu Awanah narrated through al-Mughirah from Ibrahim al-Nakha'i that he said: "When a man is unable to separate the gold from the silver, there is no harm in his selling it for gold or silver."

It is narrated from Sa'id bin al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him): "Indeed, Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them both) forbade the sarf sale (exchanging gold and silver for each other)."

Yahya narrated from Hisham bin Hassan, and he from Muhammad bin Sirin, that he said: "Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) forbade the sarf sale (exchanging gold and silver for each other)."

Yahya narrated through Rabi'ah bin Kulthum, his father and Mujahid from Abu Abdullah that he said: "I saw thirty of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), all of whom forbade 'sarf' (the mutual sale of gold and silver), and among them was Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him)."

It is narrated from Burayd bin Abi Maryam that he met Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him about sarf (the exchange of currency), and he said: "There is no harm in it." Then it reached him that Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) had retracted that statement of his.

It is narrated from Ubayd bin Nadlah: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about selling a portion of a slaughtered camel's meat in exchange for the young still in an animal's womb, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade them from doing that."

Yahya narrated through Hisham and Yahya bin Abi Kathir from a person who heard Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) being asked about selling one camel for two camels on credit, and he said: "This excess is permissible, because some of it is validly exchanged for some; as for meat that has been slaughtered and set out, there is no harm in exchanging it."

It is narrated from al-Hasan bin Muhammad bin Ali that Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sold one camel for two camels on credit.

It is narrated from Sa'id bin al-Musayyib that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade selling an animal for an animal.

Imam al-Tayalisi narrated through al-Rabi' bin Subayh and Muhammad bin Sirin that Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Silver for silver, gold for gold, dates for dates, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, and salt for salt: (the exchange) must be hand to hand or equal in weight" (to the end of the hadith).

It is narrated from Ash'ath bin Abi al-Sha'tha' from Ubayd: "I slaughtered a camel in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), then I divided it into portions. A man said: 'Give me one of these portions in exchange for a goat.' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'This is not right.'"

It is narrated from Abu Nadrah that he said: Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Exchanging dates for dates is more deserving of being considered usury (riba) than exchanging silver for silver."