Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 140
Malfuzat - English translation of Urdu Volume 10 140 Meaning that one who is not rebellious and does not cross the limits set by Allah, it shall be no sin for him. Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. However, for interest it is not said that it is permissible in conditions of necessity. On the contrary, regarding it the commandment says: ْنِاَف ْمَّل اْوُلَعْفَت اْوُنَذْاَف اَهُّيَاٰۤي َنْيِذَّلا اوُنَمٰا اوُقَّتا َهّٰللا َو اْوُرَذ اَم َيِقَب َنِم اوٰۤبِّرلا ْنِا ْمُتْنُك َنْيِنِمْؤُّم۰۰ ْنِاَف ْمَّل اْوُلَعْفَت اْوُنَذْاَف اَهُّيَاٰۤي َنْيِذَّلا اوُنَمٰا اوُقَّتا َهّٰللا َو اْوُرَذ اَم َيِقَب َنِم اوٰۤبِّرلا ْنِا ْمُتْنُك َنْيِنِمْؤُّم۰۰ 1 ٍبْرَحِب َنِّم ِهّٰللا َو ٖهِلْوُسَر ٍبْرَحِب َنِّم ِهّٰللا َو ٖهِلْوُسَر If you will not abstain from interest, it is an invitation of war to Allah and His Prophet. I believe that the one who truly trusts Allah shall not have the need for interest. If the Muslims are in this predicament, it is the result of their own misdeeds. Hindus—if they commit this sin—become rich; the Muslims—if they commit this sin—become ruined, becoming examples of ِ خَسِرَالدُّنۡیَا و َ الٰۡخِرَۃ [‘They are losers both in this world and in the Hereafter’]. So, is it not incumbent upon Muslims to refrain from this? Man should from the start bear in mind and practice an aus- tere style of living so that the need to take on an interest-bear- ing loan never arises by which the interest becomes greater than the principal. Only yesterday, I received a letter from a person who has paid one thousand rupees and still has five or six hun- dred more to pay. An additional difficulty is that the courts give decisions in favour of the lenders, and they are blameless in so doing because the signed papers are present indicating that the borrowers have agreed to pay the interest. So that is where the court decision emanates from. A better solution would have been for some Muslims to come together to establish a fund, and manage and grow it on 1. S u rah al-Baqarah, 2:279–280 [Publisher]