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Debt in Islam

Brothers in faith! When one considers the sources of the noble IslamicShari ahit wil
l be apparent that the general purpose of establishing these laws is to protect
the organic structure of thisUmmah, its existence and it s uprightness; from the so
undness of itsAqeedahand deeds to the correctness of people s affairs in all their m
anifestations. This, Islam does in a complete systematic arrangement in order to
maximize the derivation of benefit and to prevent or minimize the occurrence of
corruption and vices.
To actualise this noble goal, Islaam holds people s rights in high esteem by ident
ifying the rightful owners of these rights and giving instructions on how to mak
e proper use of them in a natural way. It is from this point that Islamic teachi
ngs covetously aspire to protect people s rights and respect them and this is what
made the 'Ulamaaestablished the popular principle: Whereas the rights of men are b
ased on limitations and inconsistency, the rights of Allah are based on facilita
tion and leniency.

Allah, the Almighty, calls attention to an aspect of honouring people s rights whe
n He says, And eat up not one another s property unjustly. (Al-Baqarah: 188).

The Prophet also corroborated this point when he said, A Muslim s property should not
be taken except by his willing consent. He also said, Verily, your blood, properties
and honour are sacred to each another, just as the sacredness of this day of you
rs in this month of yours and in this city of yours. This is confirmed by another s
tatement of his, The hand is responsible for whatever it takes until it returns it. He
also says, Render back the trust to whoever put something in your trust and do not
betray he who betrays you. (Abu Dawood and others).
Fellow Muslims! Among the people s rights that Islam guarantees and firmly laid it s
foundation and principles is paying debts owed to fellow human beings. Islam st
rongly warns against negligence inpaying debts, unnecessarily delaying them or tr
eating them with utter disregard. Debts due to human beings are great trusts and
huge responsibilities in the eyes of Islam. Allah says, Verily! Allah commands tha
t you should render back the trusts to whom they are due; and that when you judg
e between men, you judge with justice. (An-Nisaa : 58).
Imaam Al-Bukhaareetitled a chapter in hisSaheeh: Chapter: Paying of Debts He then co
mpletely quoted the above verse and said, Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, strongl
y commands His slaves, saying, Then if one of you entrusts the other, let the one w
ho is entrusted discharge his trust (faithfully). (Al-Baqarah: 283).He also says, O you
who believe! Fulfil (your) obligations. (Al-Maa idah: 1).

Further, Islaam strongly condemns violation of these rights. The Prophet said, Whoe
ver has done a wrong to his brother should free himself from that (i.e. by recti
fying it) for he will possess not a single gold or silver coin (on the Day of Ju
dgement) until his wronged brother is given of his good deeds (as a compensation
). If he however has no good deeds to his credit, some of sins of his wronged br
other will be taken and thrown upon him.

Islam regards debts so seriously, that they are exempted from the deeds than can
be forgiven and overlooked. The Prophet said, Allah will forgive the martyr all hi
s sins except for his debts. (Muslim).

In aHadeethnarrated byAbu Qatadah, the Prophet stood among them (his companions) an
d said, Indeed, Jihaad in the way of Allah and Eeman are the best of all deeds. A ma
n stood up and said, Tell me, if I am killed in the way of Allah, shall all my si
ns be removed, O Messenger of Allah? The Prophet said, :Yes, if you are patient,
seeking your reward from Allah, facing the enemy and not turning your back to hi
m- except debt- That is what Jibreel told me. (Muslim).

It is also to stress the gravity of debts that the Prophet did not pray upon a d
ebtor when he died.Jaabirnarrated that, A man died among us and we bathed him, perfum
ed him and shrouded him. Then we came to the Prophet and asked him, Will you pray

on him? He took a few steps and then said, Has he any debts? We replied, He has a d
ebt of two Dinars. Upon hearing that, the Prophet went away. Then Abu Qatadah und
ertook to pay the debt. We, thereafter went to the Prophet and Abu Qatadah told
him, I would pay the two Dinars. The Prophet then said, The creditors right is guar
anteed and the deceased is free from debt? He said, Yes. The Prophet then prayed on
him. (Ahmad and others).
In aHadeethnarrated byAbu Hurrairah, the deceased persons used to be brought to the
Prophet and he would ask, Did he leave anything with which his debt could be paid?
If we told him that he left something, he would pray on him and if not, he would
say, Pray on your man (yourselves). When Allah opened the treasures for him as a
result of the conquests he would say, I am closer to the believers than their own
selves; whoever dies (among them) and he has debts, I will be responsible for h
is debts. (Bukhaarie & Muslim).

The Ulamaasay, His abstention from praying on debtors when they died was because his pr
ayer on them is an intercession, and his intercession is accepted, while nothing
cancels debts except paying it.
Brothers in Islam!Deferment of paying outstanding debts on the part of rich peopl
e is injustice and when one of you is made to follow a solvent man, he would fol
low him. (Bukhaarie & Muslim).
He also said, The delay of a capable man in paying his debts desecrates his honour
and makes him liable to punishment.

Brothers in Islam! There are some divine injunctions and Prophetic admonitions o
n matters of debts that emanate from Islam s recognition of reality and its princi
ple of kindness, mercy, compassion, facilitation and flexibility, of which is it
s permission for a Muslim to borrow when in a period of need with a good intenti
on and a sincere determination to pay back the debt. He should not take it with
an evil intention (i.e. with intention of not paying it back). The Messenger of
Allah said, Whoever takes people s money (by debt) with the intention of paying it ba
ck, Allah will pay it back on his behalf, and whoever takes it with the intention
of usurping it, Allah will destroy him. TheUlamaasay, Allah s paying it back on his beha
f means facilitating its payment for him in this world and paying it back on his
behalf in the hereafter with whatever He wills if the debtor could not pay it i
n this world.

Ibn Maajahand others reported that the Prophet said, No Muslim will take a debt whic
h Allah knows that he wants to pay it back except that Allah pay it back on his
behalf in this world and the hereafter. One should therefore be aware of nursing ba
d intention of not paying back the debt for whoever does that exposes himself to
the destruction mentioned in the above-quotedHadeeth. TheUlamaasay, The destruction i
ncludes destruction of his life, his good living, making things difficult for hi
m and making him devoid of blessings (Barakah) in this world not to mention the
torment that awaits him in the hereafter.

Brothers in faith! Of the noble instructions that Islam gives is its enjoinment
of the creditor to give out debt with kindness, and honour the debtor when he is
paying back.The Prophet borrowed a young camel from a man and when the Zakaah ca
mels were brought to him he ordered Abu Raafi (his servant) to pay back the borro
wed young camel. Abu Raafi told him that he could not find a young camel among th
e brought ones and that all the camels were of the best type. The Prophet told h
im, Give it to him, for it is the best of all people who pays back in the best fo
rm. (Muslim).
Fellow Muslims! One of the legacies of Islamic law is that one should make thing
s easy for the poor and the needy and grant them respite in paying back their de
bts. Allah says, And if the debtor is in a hard time (has no money) then grant him
time till it is easy for him to repay. (Al-Baqarah: 280).
Brothers in Islam! Making things easy for the poor has a great virtue and a huge
reward. The Prophet said, Whoever makes things easy for a person in hardship, Alla
h will make things easy for him in this world and the hereafter. Among major means

of facilitation is to write off the whole debt or part of it. Allah says, But if y
ou remit it by way of charity, that is better for you. (Al-Baqarah: 280).

The Prophet said, There was a merchant who would lend money to people. Whenever he
saw a poor person who could not pay, he would tell his workers, Write off his deb
t that Allah may forgive us. So Allah forgave him. (Al-Bukhaaree & Muslim).
In anotherHadeeth,HuthaifahandAbu Mas oodAl-Ansaarienarrated that they heard the Prophe
saying, A man died and was asked, Why did Allah forgive you? He replied, I used to ha
ve business transactions with people and I would write off debts owed me by the
poor and alleviate for the rich. The Prophet also said, Whoever gives respite to a poor
person or writes off his debt, Allah will put him under His shade on a day on w
hich there will be no shade except His.

Brothers inIslamwho are wealthy! Visit the poor and look for the debtors, support
them with which that Allah has bestowed on you and make things easy for them. Th
e Prophet said, Whoever relieves a believer of a hardship of this world, Allah will
relieve him of a hardship of the Day of Resurrection. He also says, Whoever wants h
is supplications to be accepted or his hardships to be removed should remove har
dship from the poor. (Ahmad).

Brothers in faith! Adhere to all these injunctions and enliven them: you will pro
sper, your affairs will be made good and your society will be upright.

Dear Brothers! Among the rights that Islam strongly enjoins and seriously condem
ns its postponement is unnecessary delay in payment of the wages of hired worker
s. The Prophet said, Allah says, There are three people whom I shall be their oppone
nt on the Day of Judgement: (1) A man who was given something in My Name and the
n betrays; (2) A man who sells-off a free man (as a slave) and consumes the pric
e; and (3) A man who hires a labourer, makes use of his service then does not gi
ve him his wages. (Bukhaarie).He also says, Give the labourer his wages before his sweat
dries. (Ibn Majah).
Firstly,
The jurists (fuqaha') define dayn (debt) as an obligation to be fulfilled, as it
is said in al-Mawsoo ah al-Fiqhiyyah (21/102). The lateral meaning of the word da
yn (debt) in Arabic has to do with submission and humiliation. The connection be
tween the Shar i (juristic) meaning and the linguistic meaning is clear. The debto
r is a prisoner, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, Your comp
anion is being detained by his debt. (Abu Dawud)
Secondly,
Islam takes the matter of debt very seriously and warns against it and urges the
Muslim to avoid it as much as possible.
It was narrated from A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (pe
ace and blessings be upon him) used to say in his prayer: Allaahumma inni a oodhu b
ika min al-ma tham wa l-maghram(O Allah, I seek refuge with You from sin and heavy de
bt). He was asked: How often you seek refuge from heavy debt! He said: When a man ge
ts into debt, he tells lies, and makes a promise and breaks it. (Al-Bukhari: 832
and Muslim: 589)
An-Nasaa'i (4605) narrated that Muhammad ibn Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with hi
m) said:
We were sitting with Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) when he
raised his head towards the sky, then he put his palm on his forehead and said:
Subhaan-Allah!What a strict issue has been revealed to me! We remained silent and w
ere afraid. The following morning I asked him, O Messenger of Allah, what is this
strict issue that has been revealed? He said, By the One in Whose hand is my soul
, if a man were killed in battle for the sake of Allah, then brought back to lif
e, then killed and brought back to life again, then killed, and he owed a debt,
he would not enter Paradise until his debt was paid off. (Sunan an-Nasa'i, 4367 Classed as hasan by al-Albani)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) refrained from offering the funera

l prayer for one who had died owing two dinars, until Abu Qatadah (may Allah be
pleased with him) promised to pay it off for him. When he saw him the following
day and said, "I have paid it off." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him
) said: Now his skin has become cool for him. (Ahmad: 3/629 and An-Nawawi)
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said, "This hadith indicates h
ow difficult the issue of debt is, and that it should not be undertaken except i
n cases of necessity." (Fath al-Bari 4: 547)
It was narrated from Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (p
eace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever dies free from three things; arroga
nce, cheating, and debt, will enter Paradise. (At-Tirmidhi: 1572 - Al-Albani)
It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said, "Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings
be upon him) said, The soul of the believer is suspended because of his debt unti
l it is paid off. (At-Tirmidhi: 1078)
Al-Mubarakfuri said inTuhfat al-Ahwadhi(4/164),
Interpreting the words the soul of the believer is suspended , As-Suyuti said: " it
is detained and kept from reaching its noble destination." Al- Iraaqi said, "no ju
dgment is passed as to whether it will be saved or doomed until it is determined
whether his debt will be paid off or not."
It was also narrated that many of thesalaf(ascendants) warned against debt:
It was narrated that Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "B
eware of debt, for it starts with worry and it ends with war." (Malik in al-Muwa
tta' 2: 770)
In Musannaf `Abd al-Razzaaq (3/57) it says:
Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Fear Allah and do not die in debt
, lest it be taken from your good deeds when there will be no dinars nor dirhams
."
Thirdly,
These stern warnings about debt only came because of the negative consequences t
o which it leads both on an individual level and on a community level.
With regard to the personal level, al-Qurtubi said inal-Jami Li Ahkam al-Qur an(3/41
7):
Our scholars said: It is a disgrace and a humiliation because it preoccupies the
mind and makes one worried about paying it off, and makes one feel humiliated b
efore the lender when meeting him, and feeling that he is doing one a favor when
accepting a delay in payment. Perhaps he may promise himself that he will pay i
t off then break that promise, or speak to the lender and lie to him, or swear a
n oath to him then break it, and so on.
Moreover, he may die without having paid off the debt so he will be held hostage
because of it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, The soul o
f the believer is held hostage by his debt in his grave until it is paid off. (At
-Tirmidhi, 1078) All of that undermines one s religious commitment."
With regard to the community level, specialists have described the negative cons
equences and the danger it poses to the economy, for example:
1- Desire for immediate gratification with no thought of the future.
2- Lack of responsibility and self-reliance.
3- Poor distribution of wealth.
Fourthly,
Based on the above, the scholars have stipulated three conditions for debt to be
permissible:
1- The borrower should be determined to repay it.
2- It should be known or thought most likely that he is able to repay it.
3- It should be for something that is permissible according to Shari`ah.
Fifthly,
So long as you have taken on a debt so that you can fulfill the duty of helping
your husband and family to pay for living expenses, you will be rewarded by Alla
h for this good deed. I ask Allah to reward you greatly for that. Remember that
He will help you to pay off this debt. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) said, The one who takes people s wealth intending to pay it back, Allah will p
ay it back for him, and the one who takes it intending to destroy it, Allah will
destroy him. (Al-Bukhari 2387)

Seek help with that by working and striving hard to pay off the debt, and by put
ting your trust in Allah, and praying to Him to make it easy for you to pay off
your debt.
It was narrated that Abu Sa`id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque and
saw an Ansari man whose name was Abu Umamah. He said: "O Abu Umamah, why are you
sitting in the mosque when it is not the time for prayer?" He said: 'Worries an
d debts, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: Shall I not teach you some words which,
if you say them, Allah will take away your worries and pay off your debts? He sai
d: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said, "Say, morning and evening, O Allah, I se
ek refuge with You from worry and grief, and I seek refuge with You from incapac
ity and laziness, and I seek refuge with You from cowardice and miserliness, and
I seek refuge with You from being heavily in debt and from being overcome by me
n. He (Abu Umamah) said, "I did that, and Allah took away my worry and paid off m
y debt." (Abu Dawud)
Allah Almighty knows best.

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