Did earlier religions originally prohibit interest and usury?
Someone from the UK wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), stating that the meanings of ‘qayyim’ are powerful, firm, right and straight. It also includes the meanings of straightening and correcting. This is why the term Din al-Qayyim [the everlasting faith] has been used in the Holy Quran and ancient scriptures for the true religions revealed by God Almighty. In this context, my question is whether we can say that the prohibition of interest or usury is a part of Din al-Qayyim.
Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa), in his letter dated 5 December 2023, granted the following guidance regarding this question:
“You have fetched an argument from afar in your question, whereas your straightforward question should have been whether the prohibition of interest is found in the true religions revealed by Allah the Exalted. The answer to this question is that the prohibition of interest is indeed found in the religious teachings revealed by God Almighty.
“Accordingly, on the one hand, the Holy Quran completely forbade Muslims from this evil and admonished them to avoid it, stating that, ‘Whatever you lay out at interest that it may foster the wealth of the people, it does not increase in the sight of Allah; but whatever you remit as Zakat, seeking the pleasure of Allah, that is multiplied manifold.’ (Surah ar-Rum, Ch. 30: V. 40)
“Whilst expounding upon the exegesis of this verse, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states that the Holy Quran has described two types of interest. The usurious business conducted with the poor has also been forbidden, but this verse clearly indicates that it refers to the usurious business conducted with the wealthy, so that they may invest it in trade and the wealth of the lender may also increase. Some Muslims suppose that lending money on interest to the wealthy or to companies, or investing money in a bank on interest, is not forbidden in Islam. However, this verse clarifies that this type of usurious business is also forbidden. If their supposition were correct, why would this verse have been revealed and what would be its purpose? God, the Revealer of the Holy Quran, is the Knower of the Unseen; He knew that in a certain era, Muslims would attempt to make interest lawful. Thus, He dispelled even the doubts that would arise in the future within this verse. (Tafsir-e-Saghir, p. 530, footnote 1)
“Furthermore, He stated, ‘And do not bestow a favour in the expectation of receiving more in return.’ (Surah al-Muddaththir, Ch. 74: V. 8) Then, He commanded the abandonment of an evil like interest in clear terms and warned those who do not abandon it to be prepared for war with Allah and His Messenger (sa). Alongside this, He also advised that if a debtor is in straitened circumstances, he should be granted respite until he attains ease and if you remit even your principal amount [ra’s al-mal] as charity for that person, it is the best act. (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch. 2: V. 279-281)
“On the other hand, regarding the Jews, He stated, ‘We barred them from the enjoyment of Our spiritual favours which had been allowed to them and We have prepared for those of them who disbelieve a painful torment.’ (Surah an-Nisa, Ch. 4: V. 162)
“Whilst expounding upon the exegesis of this verse, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“‘In Exodus chapter 22, verse 25 and Leviticus chapter 25, verses 36 and 37, the taking of interest by Jews is declared forbidden. However, in Deuteronomy, chapter 23, verse 20, the Children of Israel are permitted to take interest from people other than the Jews. In reality, this is an interpolation which, according to the Holy Quran, the Jews made in the Bible for their commercial business. Otherwise, Allah the Exalted had forbidden them from every kind of usurious business. Thus, whatever is written in the Bible is the result of Jewish interpolation.’
(Tafsir-e-Saghir, p. 136, footnote 4)
“We observe that although the Bible has been interpolated to a great extent, the prohibition of usury is still present within it. Accordingly, in addition to the aforementioned references, the Bible states: ‘Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? […] he that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh a bribe against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.’ (KJV, Psalms, 15:1, 5)
“Then it is written: ‘The soul that sinneth, it shall die. […] But if a man be just and do that which is lawful and right, and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols. […] He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man […] he shall surely live.’ (KJV, Ezekiel, 18:4-6, 8-9)
“In the Gospel as well, there are various such sayings attributed to Prophet Jesus (as) from which not only the prohibition of usury is deduced, but they also impart the teaching of great leniency in lending. As he states in one place:
“‘And if ye lend to them from whom ye hope to receive, what thanks have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest; for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.’
(KJV, Luke, 6:34-36)
“Likewise, in Hinduism and Buddhism, too, one finds a strong aversion to usury. Some of their texts state that Brahmins and Kshatriyas of the higher castes may not engage in lending on interest, and that only a hypocritical ascetic engages in usurious dealings. (L C Jain, Indigenous Banking in India, Macmillan, London, 1929, pp. 5-6)
“Thus, the essence of the matter is that Allah the Exalted strongly condemned the evil of interest in the teachings of all the religions He revealed. However, since earlier religions were for a specific time, people altered them over the passage of time and incorporated matters of their own choosing into them. For this reason, they did not remain Din al-Qayyim. But since the Islamic Sharia is until the Day of Resurrection and God Almighty has Himself taken the responsibility for its protection and preservation, Islam is the true Din al-Qayyim in the real sense. It has forbidden interest in remarkably clear and decisive words and regarding those who consume interest, it states that Satan confounds them with his attack and they lose the ability to even stand up straight due to Satan’s attack. Therefore, neither do they themselves remain established upon the straight path nor can they show the straight path to anyone else.”
Why does Allah make some people rich and others poor?
Someone from Senegal sent an enquiry to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), stating that we were not given the choice to select our parents, race and region. Why did those born into wealthy families receive this blessing and what was the fault of those born into poor families? Similarly, why did those born into pious families receive this blessing as opposed to those born into wicked and wayward families? In both circumstances, how is it possible for a person to transition to a superior state?
Huzoor-e-Anwar (aa), in his letter dated 12 December 2023, granted the following reply to this question:
“Allah the Exalted states in the Holy Quran:
“‘And if Allah had [enforced] His will, He would have made you [all] one people, but [He wishes] to try you by that which He has given you. Vie, then, with one another in good works. To Allah shall you all return; then will He inform you of that wherein you differed.’ (Surah al-Ma‘idah, Ch. 5: V. 49)
“Now, if all people were identical, the very purpose of life would cease to exist; there would be no test, nor would the promise of any reward remain and spiritual and physical progress would halt entirely. We observe in our daily lives that if Allah the Exalted had created everyone exactly the same, the system of the world could not function and there would be chaos in life.
“Thus, to run this entire system, Allah the Exalted has placed a distinction among people and socio-economic strata so that He may see who has performed what kind of deeds under which circumstances. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra), whilst expounding upon the exegesis of this verse, states:
“‘لَجَعَلَكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً meaning, He would have established you upon a single religion. However, this would have been compulsion. But through these faculties which We have bestowed, لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ, He desired to reward you. Therefore, you should excel one another in good deeds and receive the reward. If you do not perform good deeds of your own volition but rather out of instinct, then what is the reward for?’
(Haqaiq-ul-Furqan, Vol. 2, p. 106)
“The reality is that the poverty of this world is temporary and its wealth is also temporary; the true and eternal life is the life of the Hereafter. To attain the eternal gardens in that life of the Hereafter, man must pass through the trials of this world. For some, wealth and riches become a source of trial, and for others, destitution and poverty become a means of testing.
“Furthermore, it is not necessary that only pious children are born into the home of every pious person, nor is it necessary that only wicked children are born into the home of every wicked person. Regarding the son of Prophet Noah (as), it is mentioned in the Holy Quran that on account of the son’s evil deeds, Allah the Exalted addressed Prophet Noah (as) and stated that he is by no means of your family. (Surah Hud, Ch. 11: V. 47)
“Allah the Exalted has also stated in the Holy Quran that, ‘He brings forth the living from the dead and it is He Who brings forth the dead from the living.’ (Surah al-An‘am, Ch. 6: V. 96) Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra), whilst explaining this verse, states:
“‘He creates the pure in the homes of the impure. The dead are born from the greatest of the living.’
(Haqaiq-ul-Furqan, Vol. 2, p. 168)
“In the narrative of Prophet Moses (as) in the Holy Quran, mention is made of Korah [Qarun], an associate of Pharaoh, to whom Allah the Exalted had entrusted the keys to a vast treasure in this life. He began to exult in this and started to consider his own academic prowess as the cause of this favour from Allah. Seeing his pomp and splendour, some ignorant ones among the followers of Prophet Moses (as) also began to desire a worldly life like his. However, when the chastisement of Allah the Exalted seized Korah, those very people who had yearned for his status the day before expressed regret upon seeing Korah’s condition and thanked Allah the Exalted that He had bestowed His favour upon them and had not afflicted them with a destruction like that of Korah. Upon this, Allah the Exalted stated that ‘We bestow the Home of the Hereafter on those who desire not self-aggrandisement in the earth, nor corruption; and the happy end is for the righteous.’ (Surah al-Qasas, Ch. 28: V. 77-84)
“While the poverty of this temporary world brings with it various kinds of hardships and trials, there is also this favour of Allah the Exalted upon the poor person that He grants him the opportunity to join the community of the Prophets early on. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states regarding this:
“‘I have observed that humility and meekness are found more among the poor. This is why it is generally the poor who join the communities of the Prophets. This does not mean that God wishes to keep them poor. Rather, God grants these poor people the opportunity to serve the faith because they are free from greed and the capacity for gratitude is greater within them.’
(Tafsir-e-Kabir, Vol. 10, UK: 2023, p. 294)
“Moreover, for the life of the Hereafter, there is also this promise of Allah the Exalted that a poor person will enter Paradise five hundred years before a wealthy person. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-‘ilm, Bab fi l-qasas)
“Thus, the essence of the matter is that Allah the Exalted has made this world, which is a temporary abode and an abode of action [Dar al-‘Amal], a place of various trials so that He may enable the distinction between the pure and the impure. This is why He afflicts His loved ones more in these trials. And the world of the Hereafter has been appointed for the reward and punishment of the deeds performed in this world, where everyone’s deeds will be accounted for and the decision of reward and torment will be made according to those deeds. Therefore, in whatever condition Allah the Exalted places a person, it is the duty of that person in that very condition to perform such deeds that become the means of attaining the pleasure and approval of God Almighty.” […]
(Compiled by Zaheer Ahmad Khan, Head of Records Department, Private Secretariat, London and translated by Al Hakam)