Is the supplication of one who deals in riba answered?
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The questioner : Is the supplication of one who deals in riba answered?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
Yes, the supplication of one who deals in riba is answered, unless there is a benefit in not answering it, such that this person is deterred when he sees that people do not answer his supplication. In that case, it is obligatory to refrain from answering the supplication. However, if there is no benefit in refraining from answering his supplication, then his supplication is answered. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) answered the supplication of the Jews, and he is the master of the most scrupulous, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him. The Jews are known for taking riba and consuming illicit wealth, yet he answered them. This is because what is forbidden due to its acquisition is forbidden only to the one who acquired it, unless it is a specific item that is forbidden in itself, in which case it is forbidden to others as well.
This is the principle by which the evidence converges. The meaning of it being forbidden in itself is that a thief steals a person’s wealth and then gives it as a gift to another person. It is not permissible for the person to whom it was given, if he knows that it was stolen, to accept the gift, because this is the very item that is forbidden. This is unlike what is forbidden due to its acquisition, where the sin lies with the one who acquired it, and if it reaches another person through a permissible means, it is permissible.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
Yes, the supplication of one who deals in riba is answered, unless there is a benefit in not answering it, such that this person is deterred when he sees that people do not answer his supplication. In that case, it is obligatory to refrain from answering the supplication. However, if there is no benefit in refraining from answering his supplication, then his supplication is answered. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) answered the supplication of the Jews, and he is the master of the most scrupulous, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him. The Jews are known for taking riba and consuming illicit wealth, yet he answered them. This is because what is forbidden due to its acquisition is forbidden only to the one who acquired it, unless it is a specific item that is forbidden in itself, in which case it is forbidden to others as well.
This is the principle by which the evidence converges. The meaning of it being forbidden in itself is that a thief steals a person’s wealth and then gives it as a gift to another person. It is not permissible for the person to whom it was given, if he knows that it was stolen, to accept the gift, because this is the very item that is forbidden. This is unlike what is forbidden due to its acquisition, where the sin lies with the one who acquired it, and if it reaches another person through a permissible means, it is permissible.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.