Chapter on the severity of the prohibition of riba: Allah the Exalted said: “Those who consume riba do not stand in the Hereafter except as the one stands whom Satan has struck with madness. That is because they said, ‘Trade is just like riba.’ But Allah has permitted trade and forbidden riba. So whoever is given a warning from his Lord and desists, then what has already passed is forgiven him, and his case is up to Allah. But whoever returns to it, those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein forever. Allah destroys riba and multiplies charity.” To His saying: “O you who believe! Fear Allah and give up what remains of riba.”

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
He said, may Allah have mercy on him: “Chapter on the severity of the prohibition of riba. Allah the Exalted said:

Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity. That is because they say, "Trade is [just] like interest." But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest. So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allah. But whoever returns to [dealing in interest or usury] - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.

الذين يأكلون الربا لا يقومون إلا كما يقوم الذي يتخبطه الشيطان من المس ذلك بأنهم قالوا إنما البيع مثل الربا وأحل الله البيع وحرم الربا فمن جاءه موعظة من ربه فانتهى فله ما سلف وأمره إلى الله ومن عاد فأولئك أصحاب النار هم فيها خالدون

[Al-Baqarah 2:275]

”

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The author, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: Chapter on the severity of the prohibition of riba.
Riba is an increase or a delay, because riba is either an increase of one thing over another or a delay in taking possession. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has clarified the ruling on riba in His Book and mentioned the threat therein. Likewise, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the ruling on riba and the threat associated with it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified where riba occurs and how it occurs. He mentioned that riba occurs in six categories: gold, silver, wheat, barley, dates, and salt. These are the six things in which riba exists. If you sell something of its own kind, two conditions are necessary: equality and immediate exchange before parting. If you sell gold for gold, it must be equal in weight, and the exchange must occur before parting on both sides. If you sell silver for silver, it must be equal in weight, and the exchange must occur before parting on both sides. If you sell wheat for wheat, it must be equal in weight, and the taking of possession must occur before parting on both sides. If you sell barley for barley, they must be equal in weight, and the taking of possession must occur before parting on both sides. If you sell dates for dates, they must be equal in measure, and the taking of possession must occur before parting on both sides. If you sell salt for salt, they must be equal in measure, and the taking of possession must occur before parting on both sides. This is if you sell the item for its own kind from these six categories. If you sell it for a different kind, immediate exchange before parting on both sides is necessary, but equality is not required. So if you sell a sa' of wheat for two sa' of barley, there is no harm, but the taking of possession must occur before parting. If you sell a sa' of dates for two sa' of barley, there is no harm, but with the condition of immediate exchange before parting. If you sell gold for silver, there is no harm in an increase or decrease, but the taking of possession must occur before parting.
These are the six categories in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly stated that riba applies. Likewise, anything that shares their meaning has the same ruling as them, because this Islamic Shari'ah does not distinguish between two identical things, nor does it equate two different things.
As for the ruling on riba, it is one of the seven destructive sins among the major sins, and I seek refuge in Allah. Whoever engages in riba has a resemblance to the Jews, the most wicked of Allah's servants, because the Jews are those who consume illicit gains and take riba. So whoever deals in riba from this Ummah has a resemblance to the Jews. We ask Allah for safety.
As for the threat against them, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: This is their ruling: Satan is unleashed upon the children of Adam; we ask Allah for safety. Unless Allah grants them the prescribed recitations that protect them from the jinn and the devils, such as reciting Ayat al-Kursi every night and other known means. Satan is unleashed upon the children of Adam and strikes them down, and the person remains thrashing with his hands, flapping his hands and legs, screaming, and being tossed about. These are the consumers of riba. They do not rise except as one who is struck by Satan with madness rises. The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) differed on whether the meaning is that they do not rise from their graves on the Day of Resurrection except in this description, meaning they rise from the graves as if they are mad, as if Satan is striking them with madness. Or whether the meaning is that they do not rise to [abandon] riba because they consume riba, and they are as if they are mad due to the intensity of their greed, avarice, and stinginess, not caring. Thus, this would be a description of them in this world. The correct view is that if the verse allows for both meanings, it is to be understood as applying to both, because in this world they are tossed about and behave as one who is struck by Satan with madness, and in the Hereafter likewise, they rise from their graves in this description. We ask Allah for well-being. Then Allah (Mighty and Majestic) clarified that these people made a defective analogy, saying: There is no difference, just as you sell a man, for example, a sheep for one hundred riyals, or sell him a dirham for two dirhams, what is the difference? They say that sale is like riba. Their analogy is like the analogy of Satan when Allah commanded him to prostrate to Adam, and he said, "I am better than him; You created me from fire and created him from clay." They opposed the text with a defective analogy. These people also made a defective analogy. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) clarified that there is no analogy with a Shari'ah ruling. He said: But he whose heart Allah has sealed sees falsehood as truth and truth as falsehood, refuge with Allah. As He (Mighty and Majestic) said regarding those whose hearts Allah has sealed, who said when the verses of Allah are recited to them, "Tales of the former peoples." The Noble Qur'an is the greatest speech, the clearest speech, the most eloquent speech, and the most beneficial speech, yet they say, "Tales of the former peoples." Why? When the heart is sealed, refuge with Allah, one sees falsehood as truth and truth as falsehood. These people say that sale is like riba. So Allah said: Then Allah (Mighty and Majestic) offered repentance to these consumers of riba, as is His custom (Exalted and Majestic is He), making repentance available to sinners so that perhaps they may repent to Him, for Allah loves those who repent and loves those who purify themselves. Until the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There was a man in the desert with his mount, on which was his food and drink. It was lost from him; the food and drink were lost, and he was in a desolate place with no one with him. He searched for it and did not find it, so he lay down under a tree, dead, waiting for Allah to take his soul. While he was thus, he saw the rein of the she-camel hanging on the tree, and he was between life and death. He took hold of its rein and said: He intended to say, "What are You, my Lord, and I am Your servant," but he erred due to the intensity of his joy. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Even though this joy is not something a person can fully grasp now. We do not affirm the intensity of this joy. A man facing death, having lost his wealth, his food, his drink, and his she-camel, and then finding it with him. A person cannot imagine the intensity of this joy. So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is more joyful with the repentance of His servant than this man is with his she-camel. Look at what He (Exalted and Majestic is He) says here: Praise be to Allah. Meaning, the consumer of riba, if admonition comes to him from his Lord and he stops, then what has passed is forgiven for him; all that has passed is forgiven and he is not held accountable for it, and his case is left to Allah. But if admonition comes to him and he has riba in the debts of people, it is obligatory for him to drop it. It is obligatory for him to drop it, because Allah said: As for what remains, it is not for him. For this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) announced in the Farewell Pilgrimage at 'Arafah an announcement that lasts until the Day of Resurrection, saying: It was practiced by relatives of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. It is dropped from them; they must drop the riba, otherwise no. Yes, it is obligatory. For this reason, he said: What is the connection with al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib? Al-'Abbas was his uncle. The first riba [to be abolished] was the riba of al-'Abbas. This is the ruling. This is the authority. The authority first begins with his relatives, unlike the custom of people today, where the relatives of the ruler have diplomatic protection and do whatever they wish. But in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he said, "The first riba I abolish is from our riba. From whom? The riba of al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib." To confirm that it is all abolished. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), when he forbade people from something, would gather his family and relatives and say: "I have forbidden people from such and such, and the people look at you as birds look at meat. By Allah, if it reaches me that any one of you has done it, I will double the punishment for him." Subhan Allah. He punishes him once, or rather twice, twice. Because these relatives violate [the law] while concealing themselves or taking advantage of their closeness to the ruler. He says, "This closeness to the ruler necessitates that the punishment be doubled for you." Allahu Akbar. And thus they possessed the east and west of the earth, and the nations submitted to them. The nations do not do this; they do not act this way. The one close to the ruler is not held accountable. But the Islamic Ummah, the Islamic Caliphate, first returns to executing judgments against the relatives of the ruler, so that it is not said that the man ruled in order to protect his relatives from the punishment of the wrongdoers. The outcome is that Allah (Exalted and Glorified is He), by His grace, His bounty, His mercy, and His gentleness, offers repentance to sinners. So whoever is admonished by his Lord and stops, then what has passed is [forgiven]. We ask Allah to accept our repentance and yours.
And He said: This story is about the people of the trench, who dug trenches in the ground and kindled fires in them, and whoever was a believer, they threw into the fire. He (Mighty and Majestic) says: He offers them repentance while they are burning His close friends. But He (Mighty and Majestic) loves those who repent. We ask Allah to accept our repentance and yours. He (Mighty and Majestic) says: After the ruling became clear to him. This is the punishment of the Hereafter. The punishment of this world: Allah destroys riba. But destruction is of two types: tangible destruction, by unleashing a calamity upon his wealth that destroys it, either he becomes ill and needs medicine and treatment, or his family becomes ill, or it is stolen, or it burns. This is the punishment of this world: Allah destroys riba with tangible destruction, tangible annihilation, or intangible destruction. The wealth is with him in bags, but he is like the poor; he does not benefit from it. Can it be said that he has wealth? Yes. Absolutely. He is in a worse state than the poor, because his wealth is with him in bags, saved for his heirs, while he has not benefited from it. And this we call intangible annihilation. Is it tangible or intangible? Intangible annihilation. We ask Allah to grant us and you the admonition by which our hearts are revived and our conditions are rectified.