Lawful and Unlawful Sources of Earnings
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُوا مِمَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ ۚ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ﴾
Translation: O people! Eat from what is lawful and pure on the earth, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan; indeed, he is to you an open enemy.
It is difficult to enumerate all sources of lawful earnings, but the fundamental principle is that whatever the Shariah has prohibited is unlawful (haram), and whatever it has not prohibited is lawful (halal).
In brief, the four major sources of lawful earnings are:
① Working with one’s own hands. ② Working for wages. ③ Trade. ④ Agriculture.
Regarding the virtue of working with one’s own hands, it is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
ما أكل أحد طعاما قط خيرا من أن يأكل من عمل يده وإن نبي الله داوود عليه السلام كان يأكل من عمل يده
“No person has ever eaten better food than that which he eats from the work of his own hands, and indeed the Prophet Dawud (David), peace be upon him, used to eat from the work of his own hands.”
If wealth is obtained through Jihad in the way of Allah from the disbelievers as spoils of war, then that too is the purest form of earning by one’s own hands. Working for wages is also the practice of the Prophets and has countless forms. Musa (Moses), peace be upon him, herded sheep for ten years as wages. In Sahih Bukhari, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said that no prophet passed by who did not herd sheep. Someone asked, “Did you also herd sheep?” He replied: “Yes, I also herded the sheep of the people of Makkah for a few qirat.”
Abu Talib, who raised the Prophet, peace be upon him, was a poor man with children to support. He put the young Prophet to herd sheep for wages. From this income, he supported the Prophet and also benefited himself. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said something recorded in Tirmidhi:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
“There was no one who did a favor for me that I repaid except one person, and that is Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him. The reward for his favor will be given by Allah Almighty on the Day of Judgment.”
Since the Prophet, peace be upon him, repaid the favor of Abu Talib, working for wages is Sunnah. Similarly, trading is also the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him. The virtue of agriculture was also explained by the Prophet, peace be upon him. Adam, peace be upon him, used to do agriculture; indeed, he had to do all the work himself.
In any case, I have briefly presented some foundations of lawful earnings. My current purpose is not to explain the details of lawful sources but rather to make a person aware of what things are unlawful so that he may avoid them.
My brothers! Haram has such a curse and such misfortune that it deprives a person of the acceptance of his prayers before Allah. In Sahih Muslim, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said that Allah has commanded the believers what He commanded the Prophets. The believers were commanded:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ﴾
“O you who believe! Eat from the pure things We have provided you.”
And the Prophets were commanded:
﴿يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلرُّسُلُ كُلُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ﴾
“O Messengers! Eat from the pure things.”
The believers are commanded to eat pure and lawful things, and the Prophets are commanded the same. Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, mentioned a man who travels a long journey, his hair disheveled and covered with dust. (This state of poverty and travel is a cause for the acceptance of prayer; the more disheveled the state and the more humbly a person prays to Allah, the more intense Allah’s mercy becomes.) The man says, “O Lord! O Lord! O my Lord! O my Lord!”
ومطعمه حرام ومشربه حرام وملبسه حرام وغذيبالحرام فأنىٰ يستجاب لذٰلك
“It was said that his condition is that his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he is fed unlawful food, so how can his prayer be accepted?”
It is understood that the curse of haram is that because of it, prayers are not accepted. So you can yourself estimate the acceptance of other deeds: Zakat given from unlawful wealth, Hajj performed with unlawful wealth, fasting observed with unlawful wealth, and breaking the fast with unlawful food—how can these attain acceptance before Allah? Moreover, when a person consumes what Allah has forbidden, Allah deprives him of His blessings. Our parents, Adam and Eve, peace be upon them, were forbidden by Allah to approach a certain tree. They forgot and ate from it. The result was that their garments fell off and they became naked. Later, they were indeed forgiven, but they had to leave Paradise. Therefore, my brothers, avoiding haram is extremely necessary.
Forms of Haram Earnings:
Allah Almighty has said in the Holy Quran:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِالْبَاطِلِ إِلَّا أَن تَكُونَ تِجَارَةً عَن تَرَاضٍ مِّنكُمْ﴾
“O you who have believed! Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly, but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent.”
There are many forms of consuming each other’s wealth unjustly. Taking wealth from someone by force, taking wealth through deceit, consuming someone’s wealth through usury; in short, there are many ways of earning that Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have declared invalid, and they are unlawful and forbidden for Muslims. Nowadays, many people are trapped in unlawful earnings, but they do not care about it at all. In Sahih Bukhari, there is a hadith in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“There will come a time upon the people when a person will not care from where he earns his wealth, whether he earns it lawfully or unlawfully.”
Avoidance of the Forbidden:
Therefore, we should be concerned about it. If a disbeliever does not worry about what is halal and haram, let him not; but a believer should be concerned about it. How much concern did the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them all, have about this? It is narrated in Sahih Bukhari from Sayyida Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, had a servant who earned money and brought some income daily to Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him. Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, used to use him. One day he brought something. Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, ate it. He said, “Do you know what this was?” He said, “Tell me (where did you get it from)?” He replied that during the time of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), he had done fortune-telling for a man. Although he did not know fortune-telling well, he deceived him. (Coincidentally, it happened as he said.) Today that man met him and gave him this thing in exchange for that fortune-telling, which you ate.” Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, put his hand in his mouth and vomited whatever was in it.
In Fath al-Bari, an incident of Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, is narrated that Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, passed by a tribe with his companions; their woman was pregnant. One of us said, “I give you glad tidings that you will have a boy.” This woman gave a goat, so he slaughtered that goat and we began to eat. When Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, learned of the story, he got up and vomited.
In a narration, it is stated that “Whoever asks a fortune-teller about future matters becomes a disbeliever in the same way as the disbelief that descended upon Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم.”
Anyway, the traveler said that it would be a boy. Coincidentally, the woman gave birth to a boy, for which they gave that person some gift. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم also said, “The sweetness obtained from a fortune-teller is impure.”
Therefore, Abu Bakr Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, did not allow that haram thing to remain in his stomach. This is not the incident of a fanatic, nor the words of a renunciant Sufi. This is the statement of the most honored person of this Ummah, and it is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari.
Therefore, brothers! We should also be concerned that we are not unknowingly eating haram.
An Abominable Form of Haram: Usury (Interest):
One of the forms of Haram is usury (Riba), and it is very common. Individually and collectively, it dominates the entire world. Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:
﴿وَأَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ ٱلرِّبَوٰا۟﴾
“Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury.”
And forbidding it, He used such strong words, saying:
﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ . فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ۖ وَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ﴾
“O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to usury] if you should be believers. And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal – [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged.”
In Tafsir Tabari, it is written that Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“A person who insists on usury and does not desist, it is obligatory upon the Imam (Commander of the Faithful) of the Muslims to force him to desist; if he does, fine, otherwise, behead him.”
﴿إِن كُنتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ From “if you are believers,” it is understood that one who does not give up usury is not a true believer. Allah Almighty said:
﴿وَذَرُوا۟ مَا بَقِىَ مِنَ ٱلرِّبَوٰٓا۟﴾
“Give up what remains [due to usury].”
Along with this, He said:
“If you do not do it, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger.”
Consider how great a sin this is.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
درهم ربا يأكله الرجل وهو يعلم أشد من ستة وثلاثين زنية
“A single dirham of usury which a person consumes knowingly is worse than committing zina thirty-six times.”
And you know how great a sin zina is, and in Ibn Majah there is an authentic hadith where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
الربا ثلاثة وسبعون بابا أيسرها أن ينكح الرجل أمه
“There are more than seventy doors to usury, the lightest of which is marrying one’s own mother.”
Now see, a person who commits zina is considered very bad by people, and rightly so, and as much as possible, he should be stopped. But no one blames the dealings in usury. Many great religious people have taken loans from banks; their business is based on usury, yet they do not care at all about how great a curse they are caught in. Many pious people have employed their sons and relatives in banks, even though the hadith says:
لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا ومؤكله وكاتبه وشاهديه وقال هم سواء
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cursed the one who consumes usury, the one who gives it to eat, the one who writes it down, and the two witnesses to it, and said they are all equal.”
Therefore, my brothers! Let us examine our dealings. If we are involved in any kind of usury or cooperating in it, then try to leave it at the earliest opportunity.
Duration of Profitability:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, prohibited two forms of usury (riba). Both are common nowadays. The first form is when a person lends someone money and says that when you repay me, you must give me so many extra rupees as well, that is, charging some amount for the duration. This is usury and it is forbidden.
In Sahih Bukhari, it is narrated from Abu Burda bin Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with them both:
أتيت المدينة فلقيت عبد الله بن سلام فقال إنك بأرض فيها الربا فاش إذا كان لك على رجل حق فأهدى إليك حمل تبن أو حمل شعير أو حمل قت فلا تأخذه فإنه ربا
“I came to Medina and met Abdullah bin Salam, may Allah be pleased with him. He said, ‘You live in a land where usury is common.’ (They lived in Kufa.) So when someone owes you a debt and gives you a bundle of straw, barley, or fodder as a gift, do not accept it because that is usury.”
If a person voluntarily gives something extra or better when repaying a loan without any prior condition, it is permissible to accept it, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, more than the agreed price when paying for his camel.
Look, nowadays banks are fundamentally based on usury. All banks operate on this; they take money from people and give them interest. Some give ten percent, some twenty percent, some thirty percent, and some forty percent interest. Private companies used to give even higher interest. People, out of greed for money, lost their original wealth. The East India Company collected money from people on interest under the name of profit. See how great an injustice it is that the Quran, which declared usury as a war against Allah, was printed and distributed by collecting money on interest under the name of profit, and the original money of those who lent on interest was also lost, and they roam around crying. So brothers! This usury is common. Many people deposit money in banks and receive interest, and many take money from banks for business and pay interest. According to the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, both are cursed.
Current Business of Banks:
Nowadays, banks have come up with another scheme to trap people in interest. They have named it Mudarabah or Profit and Loss Sharing (PLS). The bankers say, deposit your money with us, we will invest it in business. You will share profit and loss with us. They say that although you share both profit and loss with us, you can deposit money with us without worry of loss because we are engaged in businesses where loss never occurs (if they do not give this guarantee, no one would deposit money with them).
My brothers! This is pure interest, and calling it Mudarabah or profit and loss sharing is outright deception. Changing the name does not turn interest into Mudarabah. Remember, a business in which loss never occurs is interest. Banks lend the money they take from people at interest, and from the interest received, they give some portion to their account holders. The only difference is that in savings, the interest rate was fixed, for example, 10% annually, and it was called interest. Now the interest-based business has been named Mudarabah or partnership, and interest has been renamed markup, which means the interest rate is not fixed. The bank will set the markup (interest) rate given to people according to the profit earned, for example, sometimes 10%, sometimes 9%, sometimes 12%. All knowledgeable scholars know, and even bank managers openly admit, that PLS is a form of interest.
My brothers! This is the “Islamic Banking” that is currently operating, and many people consider it an alternative to interest, whereas it is also interest. The true alternative to interest is legitimate trade, which is free from interest:
﴿وَأَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ ٱلرِّبَوٰا۟﴾
“Allah has permitted trade and forbidden interest.”
But this is only when people want to leave interest. The reality is that these people do not want to leave interest. Their excuse is that you present an alternative to interest, present a framework for Islamic banking, but in reality, their desire and insistence is that the alternative should allow interest to continue. Banking should remain. These people have presented many formulas which they call Islamic banking. Non-interest banks have been established in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and many countries worldwide, but the reality is that none of them are free from interest-based business. Wherever the term conventional banking is used, it is impossible for it to be free from interest. This entire system is wrong. Its foundation is interest. The alternative is to abandon all kinds of interest and, by obeying Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, adopt legitimate and halal forms of trade. Currently, all the disbelievers of the world are trying to ensure that no Muslim remains safe from interest. Muslim governments are fully supporting them. If the electricity bill is not paid on time, a 10% extra interest penalty is imposed. The entire business of insurance companies runs on interest. Every month, the government deducts some amount from the salaries of government employees, such as teachers and other civil and military employees. That amount accumulates along with its interest. Upon retirement, that amount with interest is given to the employee. It is called the Provident Fund. Only the amount of one’s own salary is permissible to take from it; the interest amount should never be taken. A letter should be written to the government requesting that interest not be included in our Provident Fund, but the government does not exclude it.
Islamic Method of Business:
The question arises: what is the permissible way to give money to someone for business? My brothers! It is called Mudarabah, which means profit and loss sharing. One form of it is that one person gives money to another, for example, ten thousand rupees, saying: you do business with this. The profit will be shared equally between us. We will also share the loss. Now he started the business with this money. After a year or six months or the agreed period, when the accounts were settled, there was a profit of one thousand rupees. According to the agreement, five hundred rupees will go to the one who provided the money, and five hundred rupees to the one who worked. But God forbid, if there is a loss, for example, a loss of one thousand rupees from the ten thousand or the entire ten thousand is lost. Such ups and downs occur in business. So, whose responsibility is this loss? Common people think that the loss will also be shared equally; for example, if there is a loss of one thousand rupees, five hundred rupees loss will be borne by the money provider and five hundred rupees by the worker, who must compensate the money owner. But brothers! This is wrong. The reality is that whatever loss occurs to the capital, it is the loss of the money provider only. No amount will be charged to the worker. Because in this business, two things were involved: one capital and the other labor. In case of profit, half the profit goes to the capital provider and half to the worker. In case of loss, the capital provider suffers the loss of capital. The worker loses his labor; he worked all year to earn profit. Now, is it not enough loss for him that his whole year’s labor has gone waste and he gained nothing? If even half of the loss amount is recovered from him, how great an injustice it would be. The scholars of the Ummah agree that in the case of Mudarabah, the entire loss of capital is borne by the owner of the capital. If someone says that in this way the dishonest worker will always show loss and consume the capital, the answer is: if you considered him dishonest from the beginning, why did you give him your money? And if dishonesty is proven later, you can prove it with evidence and recover the entire loss from him. But if dishonesty is not proven and the loss occurred due to accidental circumstances, then placing the loss on the worker would be injustice.
Cash Only in Exchange for Sex:
Earlier, I discussed one form of usury, which is lending money and charging interest over time. Now I mention the second form of usury, which common people do not even know about. In Sahih Muslim, there is a hadith. Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
”Gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, salt for salt, equal for equal, hand to hand (immediate exchange). Whoever gives more has engaged in usury.“
In Sahih Bukhari, there is also a hadith from Ubada bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him):
فإذا اختلفت هٰذه الأصناف فبيعوا كيف شئتم إذا كان يدا بيد
”When these types differ, sell as you wish as long as it is hand to hand cash.“
This means that in the buying and selling of these items, two conditions must be observed. One is that they must be equal in quantity, and the second condition is that the exchange must be hand to hand (immediate). When gold is given on one side, the same amount of gold must be given on the other side at the same time. If the items differ, for example, gold on one side and silver on the other, or wheat on one side and barley on the other, then the condition is that the exchange must be hand to hand. Credit is not allowed, but difference in quantity is permissible. For example, if a person says he wants to sell silver and another person shows his gold, after mutual agreement they decide that the silver seller will give two kilograms of silver and take two tolas of gold, there is no harm in this. But the condition is that when silver is given, gold must be received at the same time. Delay is not allowed. If delayed, it is usury.
In Sahih Bukhari, there is an incident of Malik bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) who had one hundred dinars. He wanted to exchange them for silver coins. His matter was settled with Talha bin Ubaidullah (may Allah be pleased with him). He started handling the gold in his hand and then said, “From today my treasurer will come and give you the silver.” Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was listening and said, “By Allah! You will not separate from them until you receive the silver from them.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Gold for silver is usury except when it is hand to hand.”
Remember that selling gold for gold or gold for silver on credit is prohibited. Similarly, selling wheat, barley, and salt among themselves on credit is prohibited. However, selling wheat, barley, salt, etc., for gold or silver on credit is permissible because gold and silver are used as a price for all things. In Sahih Bukhari, there is a hadith that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away, his armor was pawned with a Jew for three Sa’ of barley.
Notes and Interest:
The entire world is currently trapped in this second type of usury. All Muslim countries are also caught in it, and it is regrettable that no one even knows that we are trapped in usurious transactions. The current situation is such that if a person has gold or silver and wants to sell it, he will not receive the price in gold or silver but in the form of notes. Similarly, if he goes to the market to buy gold or silver, he will not pay the price in cash gold or silver but in the form of notes. These notes are neither gold nor silver themselves. They only bear a guarantee that the holder of these notes can, if he wishes, take gold or silver or any commodity equivalent to the value of the note (100 rupees, 1000 rupees, or whatever the note’s value is) from the government bank. Now, all business is conducted on these notes.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, declared this situation as usury: if gold or silver is given from one side, but the cash price is not paid at that time from the other side, then the person giving the note has not given gold or silver at all. Rather, the gold or silver is not even with the note holder to pay it; it is with the bank that issued the note. The reality is that the cunning and deceitful Jews and Hindus have established the banking system, collected the wealth of all Muslim countries in their banks, and issued notes against it. Now, people neither have gold nor silver nor any other valuable commodity, whether they are people of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, or any other country. They have no valuable commodity in their hands—neither gold nor silver. They only have notes that bear a guarantee from those people whose banks hold the gold. The real owners of the value are those banks, and the person holding the notes has relinquished his original value simply because currency notes are light to carry and he is relieved from the burden of carrying gold or silver coins. In this convenience, he neither worries that he is involved in usurious business and thus accursed, nor about how he is treated in the world. Observe how those who are content to keep their wealth in the form of notes are treated. The government owns the banks and holds the real value in gold or silver. Whenever it wishes, it announces a devaluation of the rupee by a certain percentage. For example, recently the rupee’s value was reduced by 20 percent. After this announcement, a person holding a 100-rupee note finds its value reduced to only forty rupees, and he will receive gold equivalent to only forty rupees. The rest is usurped by the government. In fact, now even the government banks have very little gold. The gold is with Jewish banks in Switzerland. Governments keep printing notes without gold, so the value of their notes is determined by the real owners of the gold, the Jews and Christians.
The explanation of this being usurious business due to the absence of the cash condition in buying or selling gold and silver with notes has been made clear. Besides this, there is another defect: it is not permissible to sell something that one does not possess. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
لا تبع ما ليس عندك
“Do not sell what you do not have.”
When a person gives notes to someone and buys something from him, he is giving something that he does not actually possess but is with the bank. This is clarified by the incident mentioned in Sahih Muslim. It happened that Marwan ibn al-Hakam, may Allah have mercy on him, gave people promissory notes instead of the stipends he was supposed to give. A promissory note is a paper on which the government acknowledges a debt, promising to give the holder a certain commodity. In other words, it is a note. People started selling these notes and buying commodities with them.
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: احللت بيع الربا “You have made usurious sales lawful.”
Marwan replied, “I did not do that.”
فقال أبوهريرة رضي الله عنه: أحللت بيع الصكاك وقد نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن بيع الطعام حتى يستوفى فخطب مروان الناس فنهى عن بيعها قال سليمان فنظرت إلى حرس يأخذونها من أيدي الناس
Abu Hurairah said, “You have made the sale of promissory notes lawful, whereas the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, forbade the sale of grain until it is fully received.” Marwan then gave a sermon forbidding the sale of promissory notes. Sulaiman says, “I saw soldiers taking back the promissory notes from people’s hands.”
From another authentic hadith, it is understood that not only grain but any item cannot be sold before it comes into possession (except for Salam sales).
Now, those who have notes have not received from the government the commodity written on them. Therefore, it is forbidden to sell them further; if they do, it is usury. The reality is that this incident is the best example of submitting to the command of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and indicates Marwan’s righteousness. If only some Muslim ruler today could hear this command of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and dare to end this usurious chain of notes. Some scholars and muftis say that these notes themselves are wealth, so transactions with them are permissible. My brothers! This is noble wealth that when the government utters a word, the value is halved, and after a few days, another announcement reduces the value to a quarter. If the government cancels the notes and a person does not exchange them by the announced date, all the value will be lost. Think carefully: if he had gold, silver, wheat, or any other commodity, could its value be reduced or lost by someone’s announcement?
The Only Solution to Avoid the Interest-Based System:
Now if this is an interest-based system, then how can we change it? My brothers! As long as the Jews, Christians, and other disbelievers dominate the world, we cannot change it. The cure for this disease is nothing but Jihad fi Sabilillah. The regret is that due to the dominance of the disbelievers and their agents, we do not even recognize this interest as interest. It will not end without Jihad fi Sabilillah. You can explain and preach Islamic economics a thousand times, but until a special servant of Allah enforces Allah’s law through Jihad and brings forth its practical form, which was established during the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the dominance of Islam, people will not understand through mere speeches and essays. Until that blessed time comes, we are powerless before the current system. Transactions with notes have become a necessity. Whenever the government wants, it reduces the value of the currency and takes away our wealth. But we cannot even utter a word of protest. And not only that, but the notes also bear pictures. Some have the picture of Jinnah, some have the picture of a grave which is worshipped besides Allah. Only the 2-rupee note has no illegitimate picture, and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that where there is a picture, the angel of mercy does not enter.
In this situation, only Allah’s command provides some solace:
﴿وَقَدْ فَصَّلَ لَكُم مَّا حَرَّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِلَّا مَا اضْطُرِرْتُمْ إِلَيْهِ﴾
“Allah has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except what you are compelled to do.”
If a person, out of compulsion, uses something forbidden while recognizing it as forbidden according to necessity, it is hoped that when the compulsion is removed, he will abandon it. But how will a person who considers it permissible abandon it? Moreover, there are many forms of compulsion. One form is that the standard of living that the soul desires is not maintained — the clothing of wife and children, residence, social dignity are not as we want. Another is that it becomes difficult to maintain the bond of body and life. The general use of notes is almost similar to this. Without them, one cannot travel or buy and sell. Therefore, by Allah’s mercy, it is hoped that He will forgive us due to our compulsion. InshaAllah!
Yes, if someone manages to save some money, he should immediately buy gold or some other commodity that holds intrinsic value so that the Jews and their agents do not seize our wealth and cannot reduce the value of the currency to usurp our wealth.
The Issue of Installments:
Besides this, there are many other forms of usury (riba) which we can avoid but people get caught in them. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم prohibited all forms of buying and selling that involve usury. One such form is mentioned in an authentic hadith of Tirmidhi:
انهى عن بيعتين فى بيعة
“The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم forbade two sales in one sale.”
Scholars explain this as: if you take cash, the price is one amount, and if you take credit, the price is another. For example, cash price is ten rupees and credit price is fifteen rupees. Some say that this is the command of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم but the reason for its prohibition is that it is not specified whether the buyer will pay cash or on credit. If it is decided beforehand that the payment will be cash or credit, then it is permissible. The main reason is the uncertainty of one price. If it is known that cash will be taken and the price is ten rupees, then it is fine; or if it is decided that credit will be taken and the price is fifteen rupees, then that is also fine. This opinion is given by many prominent scholars who have declared it permissible. For example, an item costs one hundred thousand rupees in cash and on installments it costs more, provided it is decided beforehand whether cash or credit will be taken.
My brothers! As far as I have studied and read the hadiths, the opinion of these scholars is not correct because the same hadith is detailed in Abu Dawood Shareef. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
من باع بيعتين فى بيعة فله أوكسهما أو الربا
“Whoever makes two sales in one sale either takes a lesser price or it will be usury.”
From this, it is understood that the real reason for the prohibition of this sale is usury, not the uncertainty of the price. Reflect and try to understand wisely. If a person sells an item today for ten rupees and if payment is delayed by one month, he sells it for fifteen rupees, what is he charging the extra five rupees for? It is clear that he is taking those five rupees for the duration of the delay, and this is usury.
Our governments have encouraged people to get trapped in usury by saying: set up factories. We will provide funds at such and such percent interest. Those who cannot set up factories are given the first taxis and vehicles on installment with interest. The effort is to ensure that no hatred for usury remains in anyone’s mind. Now one scheme is that you take a loan. No interest will be charged for one year. After that, interest will be charged. This is also a trick to trap people in usury. The borrower agrees that if he cannot repay within a year, he will pay interest, and then hardly anyone can escape this trap of usury once caught.
Another form of Haram:
Another form of sale which the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, forbade is mentioned in the authentic hadiths of Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, etc.
انهى عن سلف وبيع
“The Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade loans and sales.”
Its form is that you ask a person to lend you one thousand rupees. He agrees and says, “Take one thousand rupees as a loan, but the condition is that whatever you want to buy with this thousand rupees, you can only buy from me.” Now if that person takes the money and goes to the market, he might find the item at a cheaper price, but he will buy it at a higher price only because he took a loan from that person. Pakistan and other Muslim countries are severely trapped in this forbidden form as well. You may have heard that America gives us aid, but it does not give aid at all; it gives money on interest. Even if we do not want to take it, it still gives because it comes with the condition that whatever weapons, machinery, etc., you want to buy with this money, you must buy only from us, not from anyone else. If we had the rupees in our hands, the item that they are selling to us for ten thousand rupees could be bought from Japan or other countries for one thousand rupees. But we are forced to take from America. We will pay interest on this loan and also buy its items at many times the price, and it will be said that our aid is coming, and it is named “Aid.”
The reality is that this “Aid” is similar to the torment that Allah imposed on the cursed people who committed the acts of the people of Lot in the form of AIDS.
The question is, what is the cure for this disease? My brothers! Its cure is very simple. It is to make a firm resolve and clearly declare that if we have taken a loan, we will only pay them the principal amount, and from those to whom we have lent money, we will only take the principal amount. Many people say, how will business run? Business, God willing, will run better than before. If you pay cash to any country, does it have a brain to refuse to give you what you want? Is it necessary to buy from America? Are there no other countries from which you can get things? You can buy from any other country. You will get the item better and cheaper. But in this case, America and the countries that have trapped us in their usurious claws will fight us, because the prey is escaping. Then we must be ready for this war. If a person trusts in Allah, Allah helps. America is still our enemy. If enmity increases, it does not matter. By abandoning interest, we will benefit because the war we have started with Allah will end. If we make peace with Him, then no enemy can stand before us. If this situation continues and we remain on interest, there is no way for us to survive. On one side America is an enemy, on the other side there is the threat of war with India, and then the one from whom we hope for help, Allah the Exalted, is also openly at war with us. Then we really cannot survive. If we want to survive, we must abandon usurious business and set our affairs right with Allah, then no one can stand against us.
Selling something without taking possession of it is forbidden:
One form of usury in which countless people are trapped has been briefly explained in relation to notes. Listen to a little more detail about it. In Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, it is narrated from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“When a person buys grain, he cannot sell it until he has taken possession of it.”
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked the reason for this, and he said: “Do you not see that the grain remains in its place, and they buy gold with gold?”
For example, if a person wants to buy a warehouse full of grain, he asks the bank what its price is. The bank says one million rupees. He says okay, here is one million rupees. The grain becomes his. Now he does not take possession of the grain. From time to time, he asks about its rate. After a month, it is found that its rate is now one and a half million. He sells it over the phone to some party for one and a half million rupees. He gave one million and after a month took one and a half million. Only the name of grain was used. This is not trade. He neither lifted anything nor sold anything. He bought money with money. This is pure usury. You see, most trade nowadays is happening in this way. It is not only about grain. Whatever the item is, selling it before taking possession is not correct. Now see the loss in this. If he had taken possession of the item and then sold it, there would have been much blessing. First, after lifting it, he would have sold it immediately because not everyone has a warehouse. For Muslims, goods would have been abundantly available in the market and cheaply accessible. Now what happens is that the item remains in one place. Prices keep increasing. Goods come from outside and are stored in one place. The one who ordered it sells it at a profit for one million. Another sells it for one point two million. On the third day, it is sold for one and a half million. Now again, it is hoped that the price will rise. The item remains in the warehouse. Money keeps increasing on money and people keep eating usury in the name of profit. Many great scholars are trapped in this usury. They keep a phone in the office and do usurious business in the name of trade. They never think that the wealth they are earning through forbidden means, if they die today, others will benefit from it after their death. Who is greater in loss than the one who ruins his Hereafter for the world of others?
New Forms of Idol Worship:
Listen to another forbidden business. It is narrated in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) addressed the people in Mecca in the year of the conquest of Mecca:
إن الله ورسوله حرم بيع الخمر والميتة والخنزير والأصنام فقيل يارسول الله أرأيت شحوم الميتة فإنها يطلىٰ بها السفن ويدهن بها الجلود ويستصبح بها الناس فقال لا هو حرام ثم قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عند ذٰلك قاتل الله اليهود إن الله تعالىٰ لما حرم عليهم شحومها أجملوه ثم باعوه فأكلوا ثمنه
“Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have forbidden wine, carrion, pork, and the sale of idols.” The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), speak about the fats of carrion. They are used to grease ships and people light lamps with them.” He said, “No, they are forbidden.” At this occasion, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “May Allah destroy the Jews and Christians; when Allah forbade their fats, they melted them and sold them, and ate the price.”
From this, it is understood that whatever Allah has forbidden, selling it is also forbidden, and consuming its price is also forbidden. Similarly, selling wine, pork, and carrion and consuming their price is also forbidden. From the sale of idols, the scholars have deduced that books which promote polytheism and spread disbelief, selling them and consuming their price is equivalent to idol selling. Many of our Ahl-e-Hadith brothers also engage in this. Hardly any bookstore refrains from this work; otherwise, you will find every book containing polytheism and innovation in the bookstores of the champions of Tawheed and Sunnah. The story of Amir Hamza, the story of Bibi Fatimah, the covenant of Ganj al-Arsh, Durood Taj, the book of Kandoon, etc. If asked, “What are you doing?” they say, “The Barelvis sell them. If we do not sell them, people will go and buy from them, so why shouldn’t we sell?” Astaghfirullah, what a futile argument. This means that disbelievers sell idols and people buy from them, so why shouldn’t we also sell idols and profit from it, or even establish an idol-making factory? No, my brothers! This is wrong. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) forbade this. Similarly, the business of cigarettes is forbidden. The business of forbidden things is also forbidden. Finally, listen to the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) which shows what a person should do if he truly wants to avoid forbidden things:
وعن النعمان بن بشير يقول سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول الحلال بين والحرام بين وبينهما مشبهات لا يعلمها كثير من الناس فمن اتقى الشبهات استبرأ لدينه وعرضه ومن وقع فى الشبهات وقع فى الحرام كالراعي يرعى حول الحمى يوشك أن يرتع فيه ألا وإن لكل ملك حمى ألا وإن حمى الله محارمه ألا وإن فى الجسد مضغة إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله وإذا فسدت فسد الجسد كله ألا وهى القلب
“Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ‘The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between them are doubtful matters which many people do not know. Whoever avoids doubtful matters protects his religion and his honor. Whoever falls into doubtful matters is like a shepherd who grazes his animals near a forbidden pasture and is likely to enter it. Remember! Every king has a forbidden pasture. Remember! The forbidden pasture of Allah is His prohibitions. Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Remember! It is the heart.'”
May Allah grant me and you the ability to avoid forbidden and doubtful things and contentment with lawful sustenance. (Ameen)
وآخر دعوانا أن الحمد لله رب العالمين
