Malfuzat - Volume VII — Page 6
Malfuzat - English translation of Urdu Volume 7 6 This gentleman has come here to seek a fatwa [religious verdict] that if the money he will get after a year, is not deemed interest, then he may proceed to form this partnership. The Promised Messiah as said: Since he will also have to do work himself and his labour is involved, and he will also invest time, the cost of each person’s time and labour depends on their status. People charge tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of rupees for their work and time. Therefore, the money he offers to him is not interest in my view. And I issue a fatwa of its justification. Interest refers to the money taken for free without labour (in exchange only for making funds available). Nowadays, most issues have been turned upside down in this country. All com- merce has some share of interest involved in it. Therefore, a new ijtih a d [interpretation] is needed at this time. 1 Regard for the Needs of Friends Before the Z uhr Prayer, the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, gave some money—probably 8 to 10 rupees—to a sincere emigrant, saying, ‘Since it is winter, you will need clothes. ’ There was no request or ask from this migrant. The Promised Messiah, peace be on him, himself felt his need and gave this money, which shows the extent of his concern for the needs of sincere followers. 1. The piety of the person who came to inquire about this issue is enviable; at a time when Muslims have bid farewell to the distinction between h al a l [per- missible] and h ar a m [prohibited] and made the accumulation of wealth their only goal, this gentleman undertook such a long journey to investigate, only so that no interest should become a part of the envisaged transaction. May Allah the Exalted give this same kind of ability to all the Muslims of this time, to put religion first in their affairs. A m i n. (Editor)