Riba, the war Allah declared
No other sin has Allah declared war over. The Quran's warning on interest, and how a believer rebuilds his finances around halal income.
Outline
- 1
The verses that frame it as war
If you do not leave what remains of interest, then take notice of war from Allah and His Messenger (Baqarah 2:279). No other haram is named with this language. The believer who is in riba is in a position the Quran calls a battlefield.
- 2
Riba destroys what it appears to grow
Allah says: Allah destroys riba and gives increase to charity (Baqarah 2:276). What looks like growth on the spreadsheet rots what is around it. What looks like decrease from sadaqah multiplies what is left.
- 3
Practical exit
If you have an interest-bearing mortgage or loan, plan an exit. Use Islamic financing where available. Pay down quickly. Open a halal investment account. Most importantly, ask Allah for tawfiq and barakah to leave it.
Closing line
Allahumma akfini bi-halalika an haramik, wa aghnini bi-fadlika amman siwak, O Allah, suffice me with what is halal away from what is haram, and enrich me with Your favour away from others.
Ammar ibn Yasir (RA) reported that the Prophet ﷺ called a man's long prayer and short khutbah a sign of his understanding (Sahih Muslim 869). Aim for fifteen to twenty minutes. Two sections separated by a brief sitting is the Sunnah pattern.