The meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And if he is in hardship, then a respite until an easy time"

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Question:
This questioner asks: What is the meaning of the saying of Allah the Exalted:

And if someone is in hardship, then [let there be] postponement until [a time of] ease.

وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍ

[Al-Baqarah 2:280]

?

Answer:
This applies to the debtor. If a person has a debt and is unable to pay it off, it is obligatory to grant him a respite until Allah makes things easy for him. Allah the Exalted said:

And if someone is in hardship, then [let there be] postponement

وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ

[Al-Baqarah 2:280]

meaning, grant him a respite

until [a time of] ease

إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍ

[Al-Baqarah 2:280]

. In the pre-Islamic age of ignorance (jahiliyyah), when a debtor became unable to pay, they would increase his debt and extend the term for him. This is the riba (usury or interest) of the jahiliyyah, may Allah protect us from it, and it is riba al-nasi'ah (usury of deferment). This is invalid and forbidden. It burdens the one in difficulty and increases his debt without any benefit he derives from it. Allah has prescribed granting a respite and delaying payment for the one in difficulty; this is what Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, legislated regarding the one in difficulty. Then He said:

if you give [from your right as] charity, then it is better for you

وَأَن تَصَدَّقُوا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ

[Al-Baqarah 2:280]

. So it is better for the creditor to waive the debt of this person in difficulty, and it becomes a charity. Yes.

Source قناة «مؤسسة الدعوة الخيرية»، فتاوى على الهواء 19-11-1434هـ - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com (22:33)

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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