Is indirect help to a riba business haram?

Sources

• ✓ 2:281 · Al-Baqara

  2:281 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًۭا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۢ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ

  And guard yourselves against a day in which ye will be brought back to Allah. Then every soul will be paid in full that which it hath earned, and they will not be wronged.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 2:281

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 2:281

  Allah Almighty commands His believing servants to be mindful of Him and avoid that which brings His displeasure while distancing them from His pleasure. He says here: "O you who have believed, fear Allah" meaning maintain reverence and consciousness of Him in all your actions. "And give up what remains of interest" — that is, cease any increase demanded on debts after this clear warning. This admonition applies to those who believe in the law Allah has set regarding permissible trade, the prohibition of usury (riba), and other regulations. According to authorities such as Zayd ibn Aslam, Ibn Jurayj, Muqatil ibn Hayyan, and al-Suddi, this verse was revealed concerning a dispute over usury among the tribes of Bani 'Amr ibn 'Umayr of Thaqif and Bani Mughira of Banu Makhzum. They had practiced riba during the pre-Islamic period (Jahiliyyah), and after embracing Islam, Thaqif demanded repayment of this riba from Bani Mughira. They consulted and refused, stating they would not pay riba under Islam. At that point, 'Attab ibn Asid, Mecca's deputy, wrote to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asking about this matter. Allah revealed this verse, and the Prophet ﷺ responded with these words reminding them of the command and warning that refusal equates to declaring war against Allah and His Messenger. On hearing this, they repented and abandoned all remaining usury. This is a very severe warning for anyone who persists in dealing with riba after such a clear admonition. Ibn Abbas stated that the phrase "declare [forbidden] war from Allah and His Messenger" means to be certain about the occurrence of a divine war. Furthermore, it is reported that on the Day of Judgment, the consumer of usury will be told to take up arms for war. Ali ibn Abi Talhah cited Ibn Abbas to explain that those who continue in usury without turning away deserve to be given a final notice by the Muslim leader; if they persist, the penalty prescribed is execution by the state. Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Hasan and Ibn Sirin that these scholars affirmed that riba eaters are like usurers who have declared war from Allah and His Messenger. Should there be a just Muslim authority, they would be given an ultimatum to repent, otherwise, force would be used against them. Qatadah noted that Allah threatened them with death and disgrace wherever they go. Therefore, beware of any transaction tainted with riba, because Allah has made lawful a wide range of permissible and good trade, and you should not be compelled to resort to disobedience through the trap of usury. Al-Rabi‘ ibn Anas also said Allah threatened the consumers of riba with death. The scholar al-Suhaili mentioned that this stern warning explains why Aisha told Umm Muḥibbah, the freedwoman of Zayd ibn Arqam, in the discussion about 'iena (debt substitution): Inform him that his jihad with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is null unless he repents. This specifies the meaning because it contradicts the statement 'declare war from Allah and His Messenger.' However, the chain of narration attributing this to Aisha is weak. Then Allah says: "But if you repent, then you shall have your principal — [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged." This means if you desist from charging extra on debts, only the original capital remains due without any increase. Neither party will be wronged or suffer loss. Ibn Abi Hatim related a narration from Sulaiman ibn al-Ahwash that during the farewell pilgrimage the Prophet ﷺ declared that all usury which was taken in the pre-Islamic era is canceled and rejected, but the original capital sums must be repaid without injustice or loss. The foremost riba canceled was that imposed by Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. Similarly, Ibn Mardawayh reported from the Shafi‘i, Mu‘adh ibn Al-Muthanna, and others a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ confirming all riba of the Jahiliyyah was annulled and only the principal remains owed. Moreover, multiple hadith clarify this point. For example, Abu Umamah said the Prophet ﷺ advised that whoever helps relieve a debtor or forgoes what is owed to him will be under Allah's shade on the Day there is no other shade. Various narrations recount that showing leniency and delay to the insolvent leads to great reward and divine mercy in the Hereafter. Other hadith relate that the one who delays a debtor or reduces their burden will have a reward equivalent to daily charity until the debt is settled. Thus, patience and kindness toward those in hardship is a noble quality. Al-Suhaili added many narrations warning that riba consumers are categorically warned with death and divine wrath. Following this advice, Allah admonishes His servants to be mindful of the Day when they will be returned to Him for final reckoning and recompense, as He says: "And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be wronged." It has been reported that this verse was the last revealed verse of the entire Qur'an. Ibn Lahi‘ah narrated from Ata ibn Dinār and Sa‘id ibn Jubayr that the final revelation was this verse, and the Prophet ﷺ lived nine more nights before passing away on a Monday night. Both Ibn Abi Hatim and others have preserved numerous chains confirming the finality and high solemnity of this verse, highlighting the imminence of the Day of Judgment and ultimate accountability. This serves as a powerful reminder of the final return to Allah and the clear justice in His recompense, wherein no soul is dealt with unjustly.

• ✓ Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an on 2:281

  Shia

  Majma al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an · 2:281

  Recitation: Abu Amr and Ya'qub recited with a fathah (a) on the tâ' (t) in وَاتَّقُوا, while others recited with a dammah (u). Argument: The evidence for Abu Amr's reading is his statement: "Their return is to Us," where the verbal noun is attributed to the agent, making it equivalent to 'you return.' The root 'āb' is like 'rajʿa' (to return). Further evidence is the verse "And to Him is their return." Thus, their return is to Us. Parsing: The word (يَوْمًا) is accusative as it is the object; it is not accusative merely because it is an adverbial expression (manner or time), since the meaning is not "fear on this particular day." The clause (تَرْجِعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ) is a sentence in the accusative case, functioning as an adjective to the word (يَوْمًا). The phrase (تُوَفَّىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ) is likewise accusative, coordinated with the adjective (يَوْمًا), but with the pronoun (فِيهِ) omitted in it, since its meaning is already clear from the previous clause. Occasion of Revelation: This is the last verse revealed in the Qur'an. Gabriel said to place it at the beginning of the 280th verse of al-Baqarah, according to Ibn Abbas and al-Suddi. The exegetes say: when the verse "Indeed, you [O Muhammad] will die, and indeed, they will die" was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said, "I wish I knew when this would happen!" Then Allah revealed Surah al-Nasr: "When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest." After this revelation, the Prophet paused between the takbirs and the recitation, saying, "Glory be to Allah and praise Him, and I seek Allah's forgiveness and repent to Him." When asked why he had not said this before, he replied, "Because my soul was being given the news of death." Then he wept greatly. When asked if he wept despite Allah having forgiven his past and future sins, he said, "Where is the terror of the beginning? Where is the narrowness of the grave and the darkness of the tomb? Where is the resurrection and its terrors?" The Prophet lived a full year after this surah was revealed. Then the verses "Certainly there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves, grievous to him..." down to the end of the surah came down. This was the last complete surah revealed. The Prophet then lived six months after. Then when he went out for the Farewell Pilgrimage, the "Ayat al-Sayf" (Verse of Summer), beginning with "They ask you about women, say: Allah gives judgment to you..." was revealed on the way. Then while he stood at Arafah, the verse "This day I have perfected for you your religion..." was revealed. He lived eighty-one days after that. Then verses on usury were revealed, then the verse (those beginning this passage) were revealed—the last sent from the heaven—and the Prophet lived twenty-one days after. Ibn Jurayj said it was nine nights; Sa'id ibn Jubayr and Muqatil said seven nights. He died on Monday night, two nights removed from Rabīʿ al-Awwal, at sunrise. Our companions narrated it as two nights remaining from Safar, in the eleventh year of the Hijrah, the same year that Ardashir ibn Shiruya ruled. He was alive and dead (in the sense of the world gone) at the same time! Meaning: Then Allah warned the accountable people, after mentioning the legal boundaries and rulings, saying: "And fear a Day when you shall be returned to Allah..." meaning, beware of a Day, fear and revere a Day when you all return to Allah for recompense. It is said ‘to the King of Allah’ for your benefit, who is in control of you in the worldly abode, and that is what the term 'return' in the Qur'an refers to, since Allah Almighty is not hidden from anyone, nor is anyone hidden from His knowledge, dominion, and power. This is supported by His words: "And He is with you wherever you are," and: "There is no private conversation among three but He is their fourth." The Day of Resurrection is uniquely characterized by such finality because on it, people are gathered and their affairs utterly severed: their rule is voided and no one among them possesses power to command or forbid. As Allah said: "To Him belongs the dominion this Day, the One, the Prevailing." Then: "Every soul shall be fully recompensed for what it earned," is interpreted two ways: one is that the recompense is for the deeds earned; another is that it includes both reward and punishment, since 'earning' involves two kinds — what the servant does, and what comes from outside like money gained. "And they shall not be wronged" means no one will be deprived of what they deserve of reward, nor will anyone be burdened beyond what they deserve of punishment. The phrase that follows, "O you who believe, when you deal with debt for a fixed term, write it down," etc., involves: Recitation: Hamzah alone read "إن تضل" with kasrah under the hamzah; others with fathah; Ibn Kathir, Abu Amr and Qutaybah read "فتذكر" with tafkhim (light sound) and nasb (accusative); Hamzah read "فتذكر" with shaddah (doubling) and rafa' (nominative); others with tawkeed (doubling) and nasb. 'Asim alone read "تجارة حاضرة" with nasb; others read with rafa'; Abu Ja'far read "ولا يضار" with shaddah (doubling) and sukoon on the last letter, others read without sukoon and nasb. Argument: Hamzah's reading of "إن تضل" with kasrah is that 'inna' is the consequence (jawab al-jaza'), and the 'fa' in "فتذكر" is the answer. The conditional and its consequence are nominative because they are adjectival descriptions of the disliked, which are the two women mentioned later in the clause "then a man and two women." The phrase "a man and two women" is the predicate of an omitted subject, estimated as "so whoever bears witness, [let it be] a man and two women." Or, the man is nominative as subject and the two women conjoined as well, both as the predicate of an omitted subject — meaning "a man and two women bear witness." The phrase "mimman tardhawn min al-shuhada'" (whom you approve from the witnesses) refers back to the described ones, the man and two women; it cannot be referring to the two witnesses mentioned previously because their grammatical cases differ (two witnesses are accusative, while 'man and two women' are nominative). Therefore the adjectival descriptive phrase refers to "man and two women" and not the two witnesses named earlier. The conditional and its consequence describe "two women" because the condition is a clause attributed to these women. The lam in "إن تضل" is in the position of jazm (conditional), but was vocalized as fathah because of the meeting of two sukuns — if it were kasrah, it would be correct as well. The verb "فتذكر" follows the principle mentioned by Sibawayh in the verse "Whoever then transgresses, then Allah will punish him" — where the particle 'fa' begins with a subject that is omitted. The original meaning of "tadhakkar" (to remember) is to have one direct object. If the hamzah is transferred or the letter 'ayn weakens it, it takes a second object syntactically, as in "I rejoiced and made someone else rejoice." Thus, those who read "فتذكر" are the ones who make the weak form; those who read "فتذكر" are the ones with the hamzah. Both readings are valid. The second object in "فتذكر إحداهما الأخرى" (one of them remembers the other) is omitted; the meaning is "one of them remembers the other in testimony." The majority reading is "أن تضل" with fathah, which relates to an implied verb as explained. Three possibilities arise: 1) the phrase "فإن لم يكونا رجلين فرجل وامرأتان" signifies "then bear witness a man and two women," and the 'an' relates to that verb; 2) Abu al-Hasan said the meaning is "let there be a man and two women" — so 'أن' introduces a command; 3) an omitted predicate with "man and two women" such as "who bear witness" is implied, making 'an' the object of that act. The place of 'an' here is accusative. It is asked: why mention "أن تضل" (that one may forget) when the testimony is for memory — the answer is Sibawayh said testimony is for remembering and the condition 'أن تضل' is the cause for the memory; just as someone says "I prepared for the wall to lean," not meaning they want it to lean, but stating the cause. The conjunction readings differ, "تجارة حاضرة" in the accusative means it is the predicate of kana (was), "a present trade." If in the nominative, it is because kana is understood and the wording is ellipted. The phrase "ولا يضار" (nor be harmed) has two interpretations: 1) from the origin "لا يضارر" meaning forbidding the harm, the doubled letter is assimilated, and the first letter has a fatha because of combined sukuns, meaning no falsification; 2) from "لا يَضَارّ" with a different vocalization meaning do not afflict harm on the writer or the witness. Abu Ja'far's reading with sukoon and shaddah has been examined; one view is that it connects as in pronunciation between words. Language notes: The verb "داينتُ" (dayantu) means "I dealt with someone in debt," meaning I owed or credited him; "تداين" among people or between two men means that, as a poet said: "I dayantu Arwa, and debts are fulfilled..." The words "أدنت" and "أدنت" refer to borrowing and lending respectively. The word "أبانَ" and the phrase "أملى عليه" mean to dictate. "البخس" means to unlawfully diminish or undercut a right; "السفيه" is the ignorant or frivolous one, so named for lightness of intellect. "أبى" is to refuse, unlike other verbs with "يفعل" forms. "الضلال" originally means going astray or disappearing, like water lost in milk. "السأم" is weariness or boredom. "أقسط" is the superlative of justice — "more just." Meaning: After commanding to defer payment for the insolvent and delay his debt, Allah describes rulings about deferred debts and debt contracts: "O you who believe, when you exchange debt for a fixed term, write it down." Ibn Abbas said this verse pertains especially to sales on credit (sulm), and he said Allah permitted conditions for 'sulm' with a known term and revealed the longest verse in His Book about it. The apparent meaning applies to all delayed debts, whether credit sales or otherwise, as accepted by most exegetes and jurists. The command "fa-uktubuhu" means record the debt in a document, so that it is not forgotten or denied, to safeguard the rights of both creditor and debtor, and for witnesses. The record protects the creditor's right from loss and prevents scandal for the debtor. Witnessing ensures the contract's solidity and reduces forgetfulness. There are differing opinions: some say it is recommended; others say it is obligatory. The strongest view is that it is meritorious but not obligatory. This is supported by the phrase "Fa-in amana ba'dukum ba'dan..." implying responsibility depends on trust. The phrase "wa-l-yaktub baynakum katibun bil-'adl" means a scribe shall write fairly and justly, without adding or subtracting in description or amount, or falsify except with knowledge. The scribe must not refuse to write as Allah taught him. Opinions differ whether writing is obligatory or not; generally, it is a communal obligation. The scribe and witnesses could charge fees, according to some, but Abu Ja'far al-Tusi objected. The written record belongs to the creditor. When the person owing is unable or refuses to dictate, such as being unwise, child, or weak in mind or speech, then the guardian shall dictate justly for him. The witnesses shall be two men from your men, or if not two men, then a man and two women whom you approve among the witnesses. The witnesses must be just, i.e., trustworthy and known to you, not necessarily known to Allah. If one of the two women forgets, the other reminds her; this addresses women's greater frequency of forgetfulness. The phrase "wa-la ya'bu ash-shuhada' idha du'u" means witnesses must not refuse to testify when called upon to do so, provided they are certain about the truth and not fearing harm. They should not grow weary of recording or testifying whether the matter is small or large and until its term. This record is more just and firm for testimony and reduces doubt, except in the case of a present trade, a cash transaction, when no writing is required. Witnesses should be called upon in sales; some say witnessing is obligatory in such cases. No harm shall be incurred by the scribe or the witness; the prohibition concerns burdening or burdening them unfairly. If they are mistreated, that is sinful disobedience. Lastly, Allah commands God-consciousness, promising to teach you what you need of your religion. Allah is All-Knowing of all things. Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim said there are five hundred rulings in al-Baqarah, and fifteen in this particular verse alone.