Min Ahkam al-Fiqh al-Islami wa ma jaa fi al-Muamalat al-Ribawiya wa Ahkam al-Mudayana
- Author died
- 1414 AH
- Editions
- Islamic University
Min Ahkam al-Fiqh al-Islami wa ma jaa fi al-Muamalat al-Ribawiya wa Ahkam al-Mudayana (Rulings of Islamic Jurisprudence, Usurious Transactions, and Rulings on Debt) is a treatise compiled by the Saudi scholar Abdullah ibn Jar Allah (d. 1414 AH / 1993–1994 CE), focusing on financial ethics, the prohibition of usury (riba), and the regulations of credit and debt transactions .
Background and Purpose
The author composed the work at the request of colleagues who asked him to extract and compile the material on usurious practices, illicit earnings, household financial moderation, and debt rulings from his broader work Bahjat al-Nazirin fi ma Yuslih al-Dunya wal-Din (The Delight of Onlookers Concerning What Rectifies Worldly and Religious Affairs) . The objective was to provide an accessible guide warning against widespread financial offenses and outlining lawful alternatives in daily commerce .
Content and Structure
The book addresses several interrelated subjects across fiqh, expenditure, and contemporary financial transactions:
- Fundamentals of Fiqh: It begins with definitions of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) and its sources, categorizing legal rulings into obligatory (wajib), prohibited (haram), recommended (mandub), and other classifications . It highlights that learning commercial and devotional rulings is an individual duty (fard ‘ayn) for every accountable Muslim .
- Moderation in Spending (al-Iqtisad fi al-Nafaqat): The compilation emphasizes moderation between the extremes of stinginess (bukhl) and extravagance (israf), warning against frivolous expenditure on forbidden or wasteful consumer items .
- Prohibition of Usury (Riba): The text explains the severe prohibition of interest in traditional forms—such as selling homogeneous commodities unequally or loans conditioned on benefits—as well as modern banking interest on deposits and loans . It contrasts these forbidden contracts with permissible financial forms, including standard commerce, forward buying (salam), gratuitous loans, and installment sales where price increases for deferred terms .
- Scholarly Treatises and Fatwas: The compilation includes specific essays and legal counsel from contemporary scholars, including:
- An advisory letter warning against usury by Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Shaykh .
- A public warning regarding banking interest by Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz .
- An analytical study on the divisions of debt transactions (al-mudayana) by Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin, detailing legitimate credit sales versus illicit arrangements like debt rollover (qalb al-dayn) and evasive legal stratagems .
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