Translations

Transliteration

Ya ayyuha alladhina amanu la ta'kulu al-riba aḍ'āfan muḍā'afah wa-ittaqū Allāh la'allakum tuflihūn

Tafsir (Explanation)

This ayah explicitly prohibits Muslims from consuming riba (usury/interest), particularly emphasizing the multiplied forms of riba that were practiced during the pre-Islamic period where debts would compound many times over. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that while this verse specifically addresses excessive riba, the prohibition extends to all forms of riba regardless of amount, as confirmed by later Quranic passages and the Prophet's traditions. The ayah concludes with an encouragement to fear Allah as the means to attaining success (falah) in both worlds.

Related Hadiths

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The greatest sin is to associate partners with Allah, then to disobey parents, then to bear false witness, and the sin of riba (usury).' (Reported in various hadith collections). Additionally, in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet cursed 'the one who consumes riba, the one who gives it, the one who writes it down, and the one who witnesses it,' stating they are all equal in sin.