The Book Of Quotes: Riba Revisited, #5

By Nizar Abdulrahman Alshubaily

The Book Of Quotes is a collection of the best quotes on Riba spanning 1400 years.

Ninety of the best quotes on Riba.

What did our predecessors think and say about Riba?

What reasons did they give for its prohibition?

Did their views change over the centuries?

Do modern scholars view Riba in the same way as their predecessors?

What wisdoms can we learn today from their views on Riba?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nizar Abdulrahman Alshubaily
• Release date: May 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201998363

Book preview

Also By The Author

Riba Revisited Series:

Riba In Mubadalah

Riba In Jewelry

Riba Complexity

Riba In Contracts

The Names Of Riba

A Sale Is Like Riba

The Hadith Of Riba

Myths Of Riba

The Verses Of Riba

Essays In Islamic Finance Series:

Essays In Islamic Finance I

Essays In Islamic Finance II

Essays In Islamic Finance III

The Book Of Quotes

Volume V

Riba Revisited Series

Copyright © Nizar Abdulrahman Alshubaily, 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the copyright holder, except for reference and citation, with proper acknowledgment.

Cover Page: Photo of Manuscript of Sahih Al-Bukhari courtesy of Alukah.net

EBOOK ISBN: 9798201998363

The Book Of Quotes

Nizar Abdulrahman Alshubaily

A Selection Of The Best Quotes On Riba

Volume V

Riba Revisited Series

2021 

In

Memory

Of

My

Parents

Introduction

This is my fifth book on Riba in the Riba Revisited series. The first two dealt with the subjects of Riba in Mubadalah and Riba in Jewelry. The third volume was an analysis of major misunderstandings and disputes in Riba, while the fourth covered aspects in Riba in ten major contracts.

This fifth volume is simple, as it is simply a book of quotes, the best of what has been said in history about Riba.

I start very early during Al-Jahiliyyah period, and then throughout the ages until our modern day. All the quotes are organized chronologically. Until the 20th Century, all dates are in the Hijri calendar, and then they switch to the Gregorian calendar.

It is in fact quite revealing to see what different scholars have said about Riba. How they viewed Riba gives us so much insight into its methods of appearing, and as importantly, perhaps into the reason for its prohibition.

You might find a few of the sayings surprising. I did. But the more you read about Riba, you will find that in fact it was not surprising at all.

For example, I start with a statement made about Riba during Al-Jahiliyyah, which shows that even then, before the prohibition, Riba was not held in high regard.

During the period of revelations and immediately afterwards, you will see that some viewed Riba as mysterious, and wondered much about its nature and how it manifests itself.

Even then, there were those who wondered whether all was understood about Riba, and whether certain forms have simply been forbidden for fear of Riba.

When we reach the modern era, the focus of many scholars switches to ensuring an understanding of Riba in modern banking transactions. They also emphasize that modern day banking interest is in fact Riba, and is not diferent from the historic Riba.

I have not used any Hadith about Riba, as this would be the subject of a different book. I have also tried to avoid some statements about Riba that are technical in nature and relate to specific subjects and not Riba in general.

Where necessary, I have added some explanatory notes to clarify the context in which the statement was made.

Nizar Abdulrahman Alshubaily

May 2021

The Quotes

A Collection

Of Quotes

On Riba

Spanning

1400 Years

Quraish And The Ka’bah

"O Quraish, do not enter into its (Ka’bah) construction from your gains except that which is good,

No prostitution money,

No Riba sale,

And No money from injustice to people." (1)

This was a saying attributed to either AbuWahb Bin Makhzoum, or Al-Walid Bin Al-Mughirah during Al-Jahiliyyah.

Whilst Riba was practiced freely during Al-Jahiliyyah, meaning before the prohibition, it did not have a good reputation even then.

We know from stories that it was held in disrepute. For example in ‘Seerat Ibn Hisham’, a famous book of the life of The Prophet (PEACE BE UPON HIM) by Ibn Hisham (Died Hijri 218), we read a story related to the reconstruction of the Kaaba in Al-Jahiliyyah and at which time funds were needed for the building, and the above call was made.

And in Tafsir Ibn kathir, we read further information relating to this incident:

Five years before the Revelations, The Ka’bah was damaged by a flood, and being already weak from an earlier fire, was in danger of collapsing.

A fortunate incident where a Roman ship in the port of Jeddah had been damaged and its wood was available for sale.

The tribe of Quraysh decided