Repentance of the One Who Consumes Riba

Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. He also asks and says: Please guide us, Honorable Shaykh, regarding dealing in riba (usury or interest). This is because some people are lax in this matter. Furthermore, some people may have dealt in riba but have repented to Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. Some people told him to repent. Others said there is no repentance for him. How should the guidance be in this case? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Riba is forbidden by the explicit text of the Noble Qur'an, the Prophetic Sunnah, and the consensus of the scholars. It is among the most evil of earnings. Allah has threatened with severe warning in verses of His Book regarding it. He, the Exalted, said: He, the Exalted, said: He, the Exalted, said: of the riba, if you are believers. If you do not do so, then be aware of war from Allah and His Messenger. And if you repent, then yours are the principal of your wealth; you will not wrong and you will not be wronged. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So riba is forbidden, evil, and its earnings are stripped of blessing. It is not permissible for a Muslim to deal in riba. And whoever falls into dealing in riba, it is obligatory for him to repent to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to be sincere in that repentance. And whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance. So these who say that there is no repentance for him, these are mistaken. For Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, accepts repentance from all sins, even from disbelief and shirk (associating partners with Allah). Allah accepts the repentance of those who repent, among them the one who consumes riba. For this reason, He, Glorified and Exalted is He, says: Yes.