al-Riba
- Author died
- 1440 AH
- Editions
- Safeer Press
al-Riba: Aḍrāruhū wa-Āthāruhū fī Ḍawʾ al-Kitāb wa-al-Sunnah (Usury: Its Harms and Effects in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah) is a legal and ethical treatise on usurious transactions and interest (riba) written by the Saudi scholar Saeed bin Wahf al-Qahtani (d. 1440 AH / 2018 CE).
Background and Purpose
The treatise was completed in 1405 AH (1984–1985 CE). Al-Qahtani composed the work to compile scriptural evidence from the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah concerning the rulings, categories, and prohibition of usury. He emphasized that knowledge of these rulings is incumbent upon every Muslim in order to avoid engaging in usury, which constitutes waging war against Allah and His Messenger. The work also details the detrimental moral, spiritual, and social consequences of usury on individuals and communities.
Structure and Content
The book comprises an introduction, five principal parts, and a conclusion summarizing its main findings:
- Part One: Usury Before Islam (al-Ribā Qabl al-Islām): Defines usury linguistically and legally, examines its practice and prohibition among the Jews, and outlines its prevalent forms during the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah), such as compounding debts or increasing livestock obligations upon default.
- Part Two: Islam's Stance on Usury (Mawqif al-Islām min al-Ribā): Covers the Quranic and hadith warnings against usury, the definition and textual rulings of usury of surplus (ribā al-faḍl) alongside the rationale for its prohibition, usury of delay (ribā al-nasīʾah), and the prohibition of double-sale repurchase schemes (bayʿ al-ʿīnah).
- Part Three: Permissible Disparity and Deferment (Mā Yajūzu fīhi al-Tafāḍul wa-al-Nasīʾah): Discusses transactions where surplus is lawful—such as non-measurable and non-weighable goods and selling animals for animals on credit—the rulings governing currency exchange (al-ṣarf), and the obligation to avoid ambiguous matters.
- Part Four: Rulings on Contemporary Usury Issues (Fatāwā fī Masāʾil min al-Ribā al-Muʿāṣir): Contains legal rulings addresssing modern financial practices and banking usury.
- Part Five: The Evils, Harms, and Effects of Usury (Maḍārr al-Ribā wa-Mafāsiduhū wa-Āthāruhū): Explores the ethical and societal damages generated by interest, noting that dealing in usury fosters spiritual hard-heartedness, greed, miserliness, and servitude to wealth.
Reception
The treatise carries an introductory commendation (taqdīm) by the Saudi jurist Salih al-Fawzan, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, dated 26 Muharram 1431 AH (2010 CE). Al-Fawzan praised the treatise as a beneficial and necessary contribution to the subject and commended its utility for readers.
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