The Shaykh’s remarks on those who deceive Allah in consuming what is forbidden, such as Islamic banks.

The Shaykh : I do not think there is any disagreement that one of the misfortfalls of Muslims today is their greed for this world, evidenced by the fact that they do not ask whether something is lawful or forbidden. They try to cover up riba (usury or interest) with what they call legal stratagems. From this, the so-called Islamic banks emerged. They claim these are Islamic, but they are merely a facade; there is absolutely no difference between them and other banks. In fact, some who deal with banks tell you that some banks that do not put up the facade, the signboard, are more merciful than the Islamic bank. Yesterday, perhaps Abu Muhammad, our brother, asked about buying through an Islamic bank.

The questioner : This is deception.

The Shaykh : It is a blatant deception regarding riba (usury or interest), and this is among the most dangerous things that have entered Islam: deceiving regarding what Allah has forbidden through the slightest stratagems. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) warned us by narrating how Allah (Mighty and Majestic) punished the Jews for consuming what is forbidden while knowing it, but through deception. He (peace be upon him) said: What is the meaning of this hadith? In the Noble Qur'an, there is a reference to what Allah forbade upon the Jews. Allah the Exalted said: What are the good things that were forbidden to them?
The Shaykh: They would slaughter the lawful animal, but it was not permissible for them to eat the fat. How are we, who throw away the excrement in the stomach? They had to throw away the fat and only eat the red meat. This was a punishment from Allah due to their oppression and killing of the prophets without right. The Jews did not accept this divine ruling; this is explained in the hadith I mentioned earlier. What did they do? They took these fats and put them in large, heavy pots, lit a fire underneath them, and the fat melted, taking a form different from its natural shape. This is the deception. Satan made it attractive to them, saying, "This is no longer fat; this is not the fat that Allah forbade." So they sold it, whereas before they used to throw it away. This is how Allah ruled upon them. They sold it and ate its price. He (peace be upon him) said:
The Shaykh: The story of the Sabbath is mentioned in the Qur'an and is not hidden from any Muslim. They did not hunt on the Sabbath, the day Allah forbade them from working, but they set up barriers and trapped the fish so that they would find the bays boiling with fish on Sunday. Muslims today have fallen into something similar in many, many aspects. It is a blatant phenomenon in Islamic banks. Every day, fatwas (scholarly legal rulings) are issued to permit what banks do in consuming people's wealth unjustly. Our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) cannot help Muslims while they are in this state of deceiving regarding what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has forbidden. So, two things are necessary: purification and education. Many people are righteous; they stand in prayer at night while people are sleeping, but their prayers and worship are not accepted because they are contrary to the Sunnah. In the authentic Sunnah in al-Bukhari and Muslim: We know of some Islamic groups that gather every Friday to celebrate it. They have halls where these groups gather on the night of Friday to worship. This is ignorance, because the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: So these ideas need to be re-examined, and the correct Sunnah must be established in place of these foreign ideas in Islam. This is a long, very long discussion, but its title is that purification and education are necessary. Today, purification exists only in individuals in the Islamic world. I believe it is obligatory that there be thousands of Muslim scholars spread throughout this Islamic sea, calling Muslims day and night to return to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then, they must focus on children, educating them from the softness of their nails in this purified Islam. And then the Muslims will be straight on the path As for leaving everything as it is and leaving the old ways as they are...