Question
Thank you for providing such a useful site. I found your analysis to be extremely thorough and at the same time I find that your responses are very sensitive to the people who ask you questions. In my (limited) experience of looking at Islamic materials, this quality of trying to understand the person who inquires is very rare. You manage to combine somehow the virtues of a hard head (i.e. penetrating analysis through thinking) and a soft heart (i.e. sensitivity and humbleness) towards those who ask you questions on Islam.
Only if you have time, I would like to ask you a matter on Riba. I try to look through so much material on this issue. Unfortunately, I often find such material to be highly narrow-minded in its approach. I find no end to constant criticisms of Riba, which normally ends with excessively dignified attacks on capitalism and economics as a whole. I am not saying that Riba is not haraam, but I am only saying that the treatment that this issue gets by many groups of people is that their material often condemns it and ends in a blaze of amateur sociology i.e. attacking western thoughts and concepts… without providing any suggestion of an alternative to Riba.
If it is such a big issue, then why is it that authors of this material do not even try to find alternatives to Riba? Are they satisfied with simply criticizing it?
In short, these people are not entitled to their self-righteousness. They have not thought the matter through. And when the hopes of hundreds of millions of Muslims are at stake, thinking things through is not just good intellectual practice. It is a moral duty.
Firstly with regard to this matter, where does this issue of Riba really stand? I have seen your response, I think, in your article in issues pertaining to Riba. It is a useful article certainly.
But what I mean to ask where does this issue of Riba stand in the whole of Islam? When Allah asks me on the Day of Judgment about this issue, after how many questions will it be? Will He ask me of this issue of Riba before He asks me on whether I prayed five times a day? Will He ask me of this issue of Riba before He asks me on whether I was respectful and considerate to my parents? Will He ask me of this issue of Riba before He asks me on whether I told the truth throughout my life?
Will I even reach that question before being punished?
What I am trying to ask is in what context does Islam stand on this issue of Riba? Is it more important than other issues e.g. as mentioned above? How important is it that an individual should take it seriously?
Answer
Thank you for your encouraging remarks on my work on the web. May the Almighty guide us all to the path of His liking.
My dear brother, in my opinion, the issue of finding alternatives to Riba is, in fact, one that should be addressed by Muslim economists. It is, as you would agree, neither the job nor the expertise of scholars and students of religion to suggest such alternatives.
You ask:
If it is such a big issue, then why is it that authors of this material do not even try to find alternatives to Riba? Are they satisfied with simply criticizing it?
Frankly speaking, when I say that Riba is prohibited it is not to criticize any individual, group or system but to call people to the path which their Lord has prescribed for them. As far as suggesting alternatives for a Riba-based economy is concerned, I really do not think that an answer to this question relates to my field of expertise. This issue, as I see it, is no different from any other moral or legal code of Islam. I feel obliged to inform people regarding the directives of their Lord. I really do not think I can do anything else.
In the past, a number of Muslim scholars have proposed alternatives to the Riba-based system. However, these proposals have met harsh criticisms and indifference of the economists of the Muslim communities. If one considers the response that these proposed alternatives have received from Muslim economists, in particular, and the Muslim communities, in general, one would think that rather than working as a team, the Muslim religious scholars and the Muslim economists are working as adversaries. It seems as if it is only the religious scholars who are interested in the abolition of Riba from the systems, while all other classes of the economy are striving with all their might to resist all efforts of such abolition. I do not intend to imply that any one or more of the proposed alternatives is perfect or even workable, on the contrary, I am only trying to point out the adversarial atmosphere, which prevails and hinders the attainment of the desired targets. This situation has persisted for a very long time. It has resulted in the development of two extreme views and approaches toward the issue. On the one hand is the religious clergy, which demands an overnight abolition of Riba, even if it means risking the prevalent economic structures. On the other hand, the Muslim technocrats (economists and administrators of the economy) completely dismiss even the possibility of finding any alternatives. The latter blames the former for a non-technical apathetic approach, while the former blames the latter of ignoring and deviating from the commandments of the Lord of the worlds. The issue, thus, is at a complete standstill.
In my opinion, the issue is likely to remain at this tragic standstill, until a comprehensive approach be adopted for finding a solution to the problem. An approach in which all parties contribute to the work of the others and work as allies rather than adversaries. This approach can only be adopted and organized at the collective level. I would suggest that all Muslim states should combine their efforts and resources and finance and organize a comprehensive movement targeting the desired change. The important steps in this movement should, in my opinion, entail:
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A comprehensive academic explanation of the directives of the Shari`ah regarding the issue. This part of the work should clearly enlist the prohibitions of the Shari`ah. As should be quite clear, this part of the work should be done by the scholars of religion1;
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Formation of proposals for an alternative economic system, which is free of the prohibitions explained in the first step. This part of the work should be done by economists;
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Evaluation of various proposals from the point of view of workability and management. This part of the work should be done by practicing managers of financial institutions and other organizations of the private and public sectors. This evaluation may result in the approval and finalization of any one or more proposals or it may be referred back to the committee of economists (in step number two), with the recommendations and/or observations of managers of the economy;
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Final approval of the proposal by the committee of practicing managers (in step number two);
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Formation of proposals for the implementation of the proposed changes. This part of the work should once again involve economists and practicing managers, besides legal experts and all such social scientists whose services and suggestions may be pertinent in the issue;
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Approval and finalization of the comprehensive proposal by the representatives of the consenting Muslim states;
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Implementation of the plan, according to step 5 above. This part of the work has to be conducted by the executives, legislatures and judiciaries of the individual Muslim states.
The above, even though only an offhand enumeration of the potential steps involved in the process of the referred change, should give us an idea of how comprehensive the planning, supervision and implementation needs to be to even hope for any meaningful change.
Until such time that this comprehensive and strategic planning be adopted at the macro level, I really do not see any option available to the scholars of religion, except for reminding the Muslims of their duty toward their Creator and in adhering to the directives of the Shari`ah. This, precisely, is the spirit in my proclamations of the prohibition of taking Riba as well as in my requesting and teaching the Muslims to avoid soiling their hearts, minds and souls from the evil of devouring Riba.
As far as the position of Riba, with reference to the accountability on the Day of Judgment is concerned, I am afraid it is not only beyond my jurisdiction but also beyond the scope of my knowledge to decide about it. However, what I can say, in the light of the Qur’an and the sayings ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh), is that Islam requires us to fully submit to the directives and the will of the Lord. It is not for us to decide which among the directives of the Shari`ah are more important than others. Devouring Riba is definitely not as grave a sin as ascribing to polytheistic beliefs or of being careless toward the rights that our Lord has upon us or toward the rights of our fellow human beings. Nevertheless, we must not forget that persistent involvement in even the smaller among the sins, when committed with a transgressing heart and an unrepentant soul is stated in the Qur’an to be one of the causes of everlasting punishment of the torments of hellfire.
I hope this helps.
November 7, 2000
- Differences of opinion in this matter should be resolved through the Qur’anic principle of “Amruhum Shooraa Bayenahum” i.e. ‘their issues are based on mutual consultation’, which clearly implies that if a difference of opinion cannot be resolved through discussion and debate, decisions should be made by practically adhering to the opinion of the majority. [↩]