In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

The Divine Constitution

The Religion of Islam has a written Constitution. Its Constitution is
the Qur'aan. The sole Author of this Constitution is the Creator
Himself. Any one who does not believe in the divine Authorship is not
a Muslim. We have to go strictly by the definition this Constitution
gives to the term Ar-Riba and not by what I, you or any human being,
for that matter, say/s it is or it should be.

The Constitution, being divine, has got to be perfect. And the
Qur'aan confirms this fact when it says, "And the Word of your Lord
has been perfected in truth and in justice. None can change His
Words. And He is the all-Knower, the all-Hearer." [Q: 6.115] Let me also give you some other quotes from the Qur'aan, which would be
relevant to our discussion here: "…Allah makes His verses/signs clear to you that you may be grateful." [Q: 5.89]
"…See how variously do We explain our verses/signs. Yet they turn away." [Q: 6.46]
"And thus do We explain our verses/signs in details…" [Q: 6.55]
"…Allah has permitted business and prohibited Ar-Riba…" [Q: 2.275]

It is in the last quoted verse above, that the Qur'aanic term Ar-Riba stands divinely prohibited. Please note that it is not just Riba but Ar-Riba (the Riba) that stands prohibited. Riba in Arabic literally means increase, gain or profit. The article 'the' prefixed to Riba indicates that it is not every kind of increase, gain or profit that is prohibited, but a particular, specified kind only.

What then is this specified kind? The other verses quoted above certainly and amply indicate that somewhere in this perfect Book, the specified kind has been explained/defined. But where? No human
scholar could come to my help in this regard. Some one said that the term Ar-Riba is not defined in the Qur'aan! In effect he negated the
verses quoted above. May Allah pardon him and pardon us for such
blasphemies, ignorantly and unintentionally uttered.

Unsatisfied, and going by the divine directions to go back to Allah and His Messenger in cases of disputes [Q: 4.59], I researched the relevant Qur'aanic verses for over two years. The result of this research work, with due references to the Qur'aanic verses and the ahaadheeth, is recorded in the ebook, The Qur'aanic Concept Of AR-Riba.

And I have found that Ar-Riba covers any economic injustice occurring or manipulated in any transaction for goods and services. The injunction against Ar-Riba is the Allah-ordained injunction against all economic injustices. This injunction is one of the basic Islamic Principles of Economics.

Alas! This golden Islamic Principle is violated to a much greater extent by the so-called Islamic countries of the modern world! And to say that Ar-Riba is nothing but interest (as this word came to be understood, after the establishment of modern-day banks on principles of fair business and equity) is to perpetrate a falsehood and that too in the name of Islam and Allah!

May Allah deliver us from all satanic falsehoods!

Mohammad Shafi

http://www.islam-n-interest.com/dc.html