<h1><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi">ISLAM AND INTEREST - does Islam prohibit Interest, as such?</a></h1> <h1><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi">Page presents e-book 'The Qur'aanic Concept Of AR-RIBA'. It thoroughly examines the question of 'Interest' in the light of Qur'aanic verses.</a></h1> <h1><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi">Islam, Islaam, Muslims, Moslems, Beliefs, believe, Religions, Interest, Riba, Ar-Riba, prohibition, Divine Book, Qur'aan, Quraan, Quran, Koran, verses, life after death, Paradise, Hell, God, Allah, Creator, Prophets, Muhammad, scholars, divine commandments, sceptics, sceptical, Concept, mankind, creation, human trait, stubbornness, faults, mistakes, errors, shortcomings, views, interpretations, transactional injustices, injunctions, honest and legal businesses, Islamic, Principles, Economics, economy, guidance, digital book, e-book, ebook.</a></h1> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi">But does it?</a></h2> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi">What should the believing Muslims do then?</a></h2> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi">In fact, the injunction against Ar-Riba along with the divine sanction accorded to Bai'a (honest and legal business) [Q: 2.275], is the basic Islamic Principle of Economics</a></h2> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi">The Qur'aanic Concept Of AR-RIBA*</a></h2> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi">The Qur'aanic injunction against Ar-Riba is, in other words, divine injunction against all economic injustices. Alongside this injunction, the Qur'aan states categorically, and significantly, that Allah has made business lawful. The two together, I believe, form the basic Islamic Principle of Economics.</a></h2> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi"></a></h2> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi"></a></h2> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi"></a></h2> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi"></a></h2> <h2><a href="http://hop.clickbank.net/?davzo/shafi"></a></h2> <p><b>ISLAM AND INTEREST - does Islam prohibit Interest, as such? In the Name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful ************** I S L A M AND I N T E R E S T ******************************** It is generally believed that Islam, the Religion of the Muslims, prohibits Interest - additional money charged for use of money borrowed, that is. But does it? That was the question that arose in my mind when I made a serious study, for the first time, of the relevant Qur'aanic verses. The Qur'aan is the fundamental religious book of Islam. The Qur'aan, as a matter of fact, prohibits what it terms as Ar-Riba. It is an Arabic term and many Muslim scholars believe that it is synonymous with Interest. They believe that the Qur'aan itself does not define the term. They therefore, by a general consensus among them, consider the term to mean Interest. The Qur'aan, however, is claimed to be a Divine Book. It should, as such, be free from human errors and shortcomings. The Book itself, moreover, asserts that its essence lies in its clear, explicit and unambiguous verses. Such verses have been further explained variously therein to make them understandable to mankind. The other verses, which are allegorical in nature, are only informative, for example, of life after death, Paradise, Hell etc. Now by no stretch of imagination can the Qur'aanic verses on Ar-Riba be termed as allegorical. These verses contain specific instructions for mankind from its Creator. These have necessarily therefore to be part of the essence of the Book - clear and unambiguous. The Muslim scholars' belief that the Qur'aan itself has not defined Ar-Riba, or made its meaning clear, contradicts the above Qur'aanic assertion. Such beliefs, therefore, deserve to be rejected outright by all believing Muslims. What should the believing Muslims do then? They should read the Qur'aan. This, in fact, was the very first commandment given by God to Prophet Muhammad [May peace and God's blessings be upon him]: 'Iqra', the Arabic word for 'Read' [See Q: 96.1; i.e., verse 1 in Chapter 96 of the Qur'aan]. But alas! Most Muslims nowadays follow this divine commandment only in letter, and not in spirit. They read, but they do not try to understand what they read. Had they tried, they would have known that further down in the Qur'aanic Chapter quoted above, God Almighty has explained the purpose of His said commandment. He commands mankind to read because it is through the written words that people learn what they do not know. How can they learn if they do not even try to understand what they read? How indeed! To read the Qur'aan in order to understand it is therefore a duty enjoined on all Muslims. Being thus duty-bound, I studied the seven or so verses on Ar-Riba. I found that the meaning of the word was made clear in the very first verse revealed on the subject matter! And the meaning was further explained, in its various aspects, in the rest of the verses on Ar-Riba subsequently revealed!! Just as asserted in the Qur'aan. Yes, readers of the foregoing paragraph would be sceptical. A question would arise in their minds. How come, the scholars could not see the meaning, if it was so apparent there in the Qur'aan? The same question arose in my mind - not once, but several times. Every time it arose, I went back to studying the Ar-Riba verses afresh. And every time I came back with fresh nuances in the meaning that only helped me in grasping the Qur'aanic Concept of Ar-Riba better. It made me marvel at the wisdom of prohibiting it (Ar-Riba) for mankind. The more I studied, the more I wondered as to how could the scholars be so naïve. How could they think that the All-Wise, All-Knowing God could not or would not make the meaning of such an important injunction of His, crystal clear? How could He thus leave mankind, His own creation, groping in the dark? The answer that I could guess to all those questions lay in quite human a trait - that of stubbornness. This trait induces man to stick to his views on any matter, come what may. It makes difficult for him to perceive any fault, mistake, error or shortcoming therein. And, unfortunately, he sometimes goes to any extent to make his views appear correct. That is why, I think, Muslims generally have come to adopt a narrow and apparently unjust interpretation of Ar-Riba in preference to the Qur'aanic Concept thereof. The Qur'aanic Concept, I find, is so elaborate that it encompasses all transactional injustices. In fact, the injunction against Ar-Riba along with the divine sanction accorded to Bai'a (honest and legal business) [Q: 2.275], is the basic Islamic Principle of Economics. Any nation, rigorously following this principle, should in due course find even its tottering economy becoming viable, vibrant and flourishing. "How could you be so sure?" you may ask, "You could also be a victim of the same human trait you described a while ago." Yes, I could. But I could also be right. It is you, dear readers, who have to take the ultimate decision on this, for yourselves. It would be a very important decision, mind you. All I ask is that you be true to your conscience, which is also a source of God's guidance. I have recorded my findings in a digital book with the title, The Qur'aanic Concept Of AR-RIBA*, an HTML file in MS Word format. It is very modestly priced ($10 only) to suit all pockets on the Web. You can have it, within minutes, with a few clicks with your fingers, online from a web page and save it to your hard disk. The Link for your first click is at the end of this write-up. But before you do that, please have a look at what some of the satisfied readers of the book have to say: "First of all accept my sincere appreciation for the work you have done on matters pertaining to Riba. Your efforts should be well publicised and should be considered a masterpiece in the field of Economics. Were Economics and Finance your subject of specialization? You deserve congratulations and kudos. " Sayeed Akhtar "For many years, I thought I was the only person on earth who considered the dominant Muslim 'Ulama' view of Bank Interest as lopsided, out-of-context, and against the Qur'anic spirit of business. I am not thanking you because I found 'support', but because you've enlightened me more when you say (underlined) 'The Qur'aanic injunction against Ar-Riba is, in other words, divine injunction against all economic injustices. Alongside this injunction, the Qur'aan states categorically, and significantly, that Allah has made business lawful. The two together, I believe, form the basic Islamic Principle of Economics. ' " Dr. Mohammad R. Awal Let me assure you, dear visitors, that the online payment procedure for buying the book is very secure. Please do not get scared by any warning message that your computer screen may pop up while you make the few clicks for buying. These warnings are routinely made to ward off unscrupulous elements marauding in cyberspace. I humbly consider myself to be too God-fearing to be part of such elements. Should you still have any difficulty in making payments through Credit Cards, please contact me for arrangement of a suitable alternative mode of payment. *Postscript: 'The Islamic Principles Of Economics' is the subtitle of the book. Economists are invited to deliberate on these Principles in the interest of the common good of mankind.[I have decided to give ebooklet Why I Believe In Islam (normal price $3) FREE to those who buy The Qur'aanic Concept Of Ar-Riba. The purchasers may get their free copy of the ebooklet by sending a request therefor, with their names and order numbers, to the Author. The booklet will then, inshaAllah, be emailed to them. And those viewers who do not wish to buy The Qur'aanic Concept..., but wish to buy Why I Believe... only, may do so by going to Why Islam page.] CLICK HERE NOW TO ORDER THE QUR'AANIC CONCEPT OF AR-RIBA</b></p>