Debt is a grave matter that violates the rights of people and leads to lying, dispute, and spiritual suffering, which is why it should only be taken on out of necessity and repaid promptly.
The text is an Islamic sermon on the gravity of debt and credit. It begins with a hadith about three kinds of accounts: that which Allah does not forgive (idolatry), that which He does not overlook (wrongdoing against oneself), and that which He does not leave unaddressed (wrongdoing between people). The preacher derives from this that the rights of Allah are based on leniency, while the rights of people are based on strictness. He warns against the widespread taking on of debt for non-essential things such as expensive phones, cars, or luxury travel. Numerous hadiths are cited that illustrate the gravity of debt: the Prophet did not pray over debtors who had no means of repayment, the martyr is forgiven only for debt, and the Prophet sought refuge from the burden of debt. The text calls on debtors to take on credit only out of necessity and warns creditors against negligence. The sermon ends with three messages for debtors, creditors, and the generous.
Koran 4:116 · Koran 2:282 · Hadith: Aischa über drei Bücher · Hadith: Salama ibn al-Akwa über Leichen und Schulden · Hadith: Abu Huraira über Schulden der Gläubigen · Hadith: Abdullah ibn Amr über Märtyrer und Schuld · Hadith: Abu Qatada über Dschihad und Schuld · Hadith: Anas über Schutz vor Schuld
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Full text in English
The Gravity of Debt
To proceed:
It was narrated from the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said: The Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, said: "There are three registers: a register from which Allah does not forgive anything, a register with which Allah does not concern Himself at all, and a register from which Allah does not leave anything. As for the register from which Allah does not forgive anything, it is associating partners with Allah, the Exalted and Glorious. Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: 'Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills' [An-Nisa: 116]. As for the register with which Allah does not concern Himself at all, it is the wrong that a servant commits against himself between himself and his Lord. And as for the register from which Allah does not leave anything, it is the wrongs of people among themselves; retribution is inevitable." The Imam al-Hakim said in his "Mustadrak": This is a hadith with a sound chain of narration, and the two Shaykhs did not include it.
O dear brothers, among the established principles of jurisprudence is that the rights of Allah are based on leniency, whereas the rights of people are based on strictness.
The meaning of this principle, in brief, is that the right of Allah may be forgiven, and one is not held accountable for it in cases of error, forgetfulness, or compulsion. It accepts the intercession of those who intercede, and He overlooks it without repentance or seeking forgiveness for whomever He wills. He decrees from the calamities, trials, worries, sorrows, and hardships that befall the believer—even a thorn that pricks him—by which Allah expiates his sins and for which he is rewarded.
As for the rights of people, they are based on strictness and do not fall away as the rights of Allah fall away. Rather, the matter in them is severe... everyone wants to take his right in full, undiminished.
Now, among the greatest areas of the rights of people in which much injustice and negligence occurs is the area of debts and borrowing, to the extent that debt has become widespread in our contemporary life. Many people are in debt: either to individuals or to banks, or to companies, or to others. And the cause of the debt may be something that is not necessary or essential, but rather borrowing for an expensive phone, or a luxury car, or a television screen, or spending on a vacation or trip, or buying food from an expensive restaurant, or buying clothes of a world-famous brand, and so on—things at which the wheel of life does not stop. This is a matter that requires a sincere pause for guidance, direction, advice, and reminder.
O dear and noble brothers: debt is a matter of great magnitude and great danger. In it was revealed the longest verse in the longest surah of the Quran, known as the Verse of Debt. Our Lord, may His mention be exalted, says: "O you who believe! When you trade with one another upon a deferred term, write it down. Let a writer among you write it down with justice..." [Al-Baqarah: 282].
And as a warning and caution against debt, the Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, in the early period of Islam, would refrain from praying the funeral prayer over one who had a debt for which he had no means of repayment. As in the hadith of Salama ibn al-Akwa', may Allah be pleased with him: "That the Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, was brought a corpse to pray over, and he said: Does he have any debt? They said: No. So he prayed over him. Then another corpse was brought, and he said: Does he have any debt? They said: Yes. He said: Pray over your companion. Abu Qatada said: His debt is upon me, O Messenger of Allah. So he prayed over him." Narrated by al-Bukhari.
And in a narration in Ahmad: Then the Prophet, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, said to Abu Qatada a day after the funeral: "What happened to the two dinars?" As if the time had not been sufficient to be occupied with settling them. He asked him about settling the two dinars for their owners and what he had undertaken on behalf of the deceased. And in it is a call to hasten in paying off the debt of the deceased. So Abu Qatada, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "He only died yesterday." That is: he excused himself to the Prophet, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, and his excuse seemed to be due to his preoccupation with the funeral.
Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "So he returned to him the next day." That is: Abu Qatada returned to the Prophet, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, on the morning of the following day, and said: "I have indeed paid them off." That is: he paid off what was due to him of debt. So the Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, said: "Now you have cooled his skin." That is: he was saved from the punishment that would have befallen him because of this debt.
And he, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, said in another sound hadith: "The soul of the believer is suspended by his debt until it is paid off on his behalf."
And when Allah, the Exalted, opened up for the Muslims and bestowed upon them, the Prophet, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, would pay off the debts of those in debt from what Allah, the Exalted, had bestowed upon him, and would pray over them. As in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him: "That the Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, would be brought a man who had died with a debt upon him, and he would ask: Has he left anything in excess of his debt? If he was informed that he had left enough to cover his debt, he would pray over him. Otherwise, he would say to the Muslims: Pray over your companion. When Allah opened up for him the conquests, he, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, said: I am more worthy of the believers than themselves. So if a believer dies and leaves a debt, it is upon me to pay it off, and if he leaves wealth, it is for his heirs." Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
The severity in the matter of debt reached the point that the martyr is forgiven for all his sins except debt. As in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both: That the Messenger of Allah, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, said: "The martyr is forgiven for every sin except debt." Narrated by Muslim.
Al-Nawawi said: "As for his saying, peace be upon him: '(except debt),' it draws attention to all the rights of human beings, and that jihad and martyrdom and other righteous deeds do not expiate the rights of human beings, but rather they expiate the rights of Allah, the Most High."
And it was narrated from Abu Qatada, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, stood among them and mentioned that jihad in the cause of Allah and faith in Allah are the best of deeds. So a man stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah, what do you think if I am killed in the cause of Allah, will my sins be expiated? The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: Yes, if you are killed in the cause of Allah while you are patient, seeking reward, facing forward and not turning back. Then the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to him: What did you say? He said: What do you think if I am killed in the cause of Allah, will my sins be expiated? He said to him, peace and blessings be upon him: Yes, while you are patient, seeking reward, facing forward and not turning back, except debt, for Jibril said that to me. Muslim narrated it.
And it was narrated from Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Whoever dies while being free from three things: arrogance, theft (of war booty), and debt, will enter Paradise." Al-Tirmidhi narrated it (1572), and Al-Albani authenticated it in "Sahih al-Tirmidhi."
And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Do not frighten yourselves with debt" (narrated by Ahmad); meaning: Do not borrow and thereby frighten yourselves with the consequences of debt and its effects.
And the Prophet, peace be upon him, would seek refuge with Allah, the Most High, from it. In the two Sahihs, it was narrated from Anas that he used to serve the Prophet, peace be upon him. He said: So I used to hear him frequently say: O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worry and sorrow, from weakness and laziness, from stinginess and cowardice, from the burden of debt, and from being overpowered by men. And in a narration: and from the dominance of debt. "The burden of debt" means: the heaviness and severity of debt, and that is when it leaves no room for repayment, especially with the severity of demands, for it becomes a burden upon him, and it becomes a severe and oppressive weight.
And in the hadith of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to supplicate in prayer: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from sin and debt." So someone said to him: How often you seek refuge from debt! He said, peace and blessings be upon him: When a man incurs debt, he speaks and lies, and he promises and breaks his promise. Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And this is a matter that is witnessed, O brothers, for many of those in debt, especially those who find no means of repayment, resort to lying to the creditor, and they promise him repayment but do not repay. May Allah save us from that!
And it was narrated from Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: "Beware of debt, for its beginning is worry and its end is war." Malik narrated it in al-Muwatta (2/770).
The reason it is war, as the Commander of the Faithful said, is that negligence in the debts of people is among the greatest causes of estrangement and severance, and of disputes between relatives and friends, and it may reach the point of complaints in the courts; which places a person in great difficulty and deep psychological pain.
These are some of the texts that clarify the severity of debt, and they are sufficient for whoever seeks guidance.
Second Sermon
With me in this sermon are three messages:
The first is for the debtor, the second is for the creditor, and the third is for the people of generosity.
As for the debtor, I say to him: Do not open the door of debt for every small and large matter, but rather make this borrowing for necessities that are unavoidable, such as illness or poverty, or a severe calamity; because of what you have learned of the severity of this matter, and you do not know whether the one you leave behind after you will repay on your behalf, or whether they will say: If he had wanted to repay on his own, he would have done so, but since he did not do so, we will not do so. And the examples in our world are too numerous to enumerate!
And do not be angry with the owner of wealth if he demands his right when the time comes. If he is harsh with you in speech, it is recommended for the debtor to be patient with him and to bear his harshness, as in the hadith of Abu Hurayra who said: A man had a right over the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, so he was harsh with him, and the companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, were about to act against him, so the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "The owner of a right has a say." Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated it.
And do not delay as long as you are able to repay, for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "The delay of the one who has the means makes his honor and his punishment lawful." Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i narrated it, and al-Bukhari mentioned it as a mursal hadith, and Ibn Hibban authenticated it.
"The delay of the one who has the means" means: the delay of the rich person who is able to repay his debt. "Layy" with an open lam and a shadda on the ya means: delay. It is said: "Lawwa bi-daynihi yawwīhi layyan" meaning: he delayed him. And "al-wajid" means: the rich, the affluent person.
"Makes his honor lawful" means: it permits his creditor to describe him as an oppressor, and that he is a delayer, and that he does not love the purity of his conscience and the innocence of his self. And the origin of "al-'ird" with a kasra on the 'ayn is the place of praise and blame in a person, and what he protects of himself, and it is sufficient that it be diminished and slandered.
"And his punishment" means: and his imprisonment or his discipline if the creditor requests that from the judge.
And beware, then beware, of borrowing while you are determined not to repay; for in the authentic hadith: "Whichever man borrows a debt while he is determined - meaning resolved - not to repay it, he will meet Allah as a thief."
And rejoice, O you who want to repay; for you are being aided by Allah if your intention in repaying is sincere; because of the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him: "Whoever takes the wealth of people intending to repay it, Allah will repay on his behalf, and whoever takes it intending to destroy it, Allah will destroy him." Al-Bukhari narrated it.
And if a person dies owing a debt that he had intended to pay off, and he left no property sufficient to settle it, then if he did not neglect paying off the debt during his lifetime, it is from the bounty of Allah that He will be pleased with the creditor on your behalf.
As for the creditor, we say to him: Know that the wealth in your hands is a blessing and a trust, in which Allah has employed you; so do not be arrogant with this wealth, lest you enter into a war with Allah, and lend to people a good loan, for you will be rewarded with a great reward, and it is sufficient for you that Allah said: "Who is it that will lend Allah a good loan, so He will multiply it for him many times over? And Allah is the One who restrains and expands, and to Him you will be returned" [Al-Baqarah: 245].
And Ibn Majah narrated in his Sunan from Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "I saw on the night I was taken up in ascension, written on the gate of Paradise: Charity is rewarded ten times its value, and a loan is rewarded eighteen times its value. So I said to Gabriel: Why is a loan better than charity? He said: Because the beggar asks while he has, and the borrower does not borrow except out of need."
And do not give your wealth except to one whose need you know, so do not give to a drug user, nor to one who deals in gambling and electronic games, or to usurers; for Allah has said: "And do not give those who are without judgment your wealth which Allah has made for you a means of sustenance, but spend on them from it and clothe them, and say to them words of kindness" [An-Nisa: 5].
And be patient with the debtors, and do not boast to them, and do not take pride over them, if no delay or deception appears from them, and it is befitting for the creditor to grant them a respite if they request it due to their hardship and need, and if his soul rises, let him forgive them in their debts, or reduce them, for this is the excellence and generosity and honor. It is established in Sahih Muslim that he, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Whoever grants a respite to one who is in hardship—meaning: he delays him and does not hasten against him—or reduces his debt, Allah will shade him in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His." And in Musnad Ahmad, he, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said: "Whoever grants a respite to one who is in hardship, for him is for every day a charity equal to it," and in another narration: "Twice its value"; meaning: the creditor will have a charity equal to the amount of the debt every day, if he delays him and grants him a respite.
And in the two Sahihs: "That a man used to lend to people, and when a man in hardship came to him, he would say to his servants: Pass over him, perhaps Allah will pass over us. He said: So he met Allah and He passed over him."
As for the people of virtue and the wealthy, I say to them: The Sharia has encouraged the wealthy and the people of virtue to pay off the debts of those in need, whose debt terms have come due and who are unable to repay, or those who are imprisoned or detained for their debts, whether that is from their zakat or otherwise, and Allah, the Exalted and Glorified, has made among the categories of zakat its giving to those in debt, especially if the debtor is a parent or a child; for paying off the debts of parents or children or one spouse for the other carries two rewards: the reward of kinship and maintaining ties, and the reward of relieving distress.
An important fiqh issue related to this topic, which I quote in full from the page of Professor Dr. Atiya Lashin, Professor of Fiqh at Al-Azhar University, on Facebook.
The jurists differed on the issue of returning a loan when the value of money changes, whether it is returned by kind or by value, into three opinions:
The first opinion: It is obligatory to return the loan by its kind without increase or decrease, even if the value of money changes with the passage of time, and this is what the majority of jurists from the Hanafis, the Malikis, the Shafi'is, and the Hanbalis held in their madhhab; [Al-Mabsut by al-Sarakhsi (14/30), Dar al-Ma'rifa - Beirut - 1414 AH, Mawahib al-Jalil fi Sharh Mukhtasar Khalil by al-Hattab (4/340), Dar al-Fikr - Second Edition - 1412 AH, Al-Bayan by al-Umrani (5/466), Dar al-Minhaj - Jeddah - First Edition 1421 AH, Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudama (4/244)].
It is stated in Al-Mabsut by al-Sarakhsi: "And if he borrows a dinar (one-sixth of a dirham) in dirhams, or half a dirham in dirhams, and they become cheap, or dear, he is not obligated except the like of the number he took; because the guarantee is binding upon him by taking possession, and what is taken in the form of a loan is guaranteed by its kind"; [Al-Mabsut by al-Sarakhsi (14/30)].
It is stated in Mawahib al-Jalil: "Whoever lends dirhams or sells a commodity for them, then it happens that dealing with those dirhams is abolished and dealing with others becomes the norm, then he is owed the dirhams as long as they exist, even if they become cheap or dear..."; [Mawahib al-Jalil by al-Hattab (4/340)].
It is stated in Al-Majmu' by al-Nawawi: "And it is obligatory upon the borrower to return the kind in that which has a kind; because the requirement of a loan is to return the kind, and for this reason it is said that the world is loans and recompense, so it is obligatory that the kind be returned"; [Al-Majmu' by al-Nawawi, al-Takmila al-Ula by al-Subki (13/174)].
And it was stated in al-Mughni by Ibn Qudama: "The borrower returns the equivalent in the case of things measured by weight or volume, whether their price has decreased or increased, or remained the same. And if what was lent to him still exists in its specific form, and he returns it without any defect that has occurred in it, then it is obligatory to accept it, whether its price has changed or not"; [al-Mughni by Ibn Qudama (4/244)].
They cited as evidence for this the Sunnah, qiyas (analogical reasoning), and rational argument:
First: The Sunnah:
What is established from Ubada ibn al-Samit, who said: The Messenger of Allah -may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him- said: "Gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, dates for dates, and salt for salt, like for like, equal for equal, hand to hand. When these categories differ, then sell however you wish, provided it is hand to hand"; [Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith number (2174), Book of Sales, Chapter on the Sale of Barley for Barley, Sahih Muslim, hadith number (1587), Book of Musaqat, Chapter on the Exchange and Sale of Gold for Silver in Cash].
And in another narrat