Ya ku waɗanda suka yi imani, ku ji tsoron Allah, ku bar abin da ya rage na riba, idan kun kasance masu imani.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers.

Idan kuwa ba ku yi haka ba, to ku sani cewa yaƙi ne daga Allah da Manzonsa. Amma idan kun tuba, to kuna da jarin kuɗinku; ba za ku zalunta ba, kuma ba za a zalunce ku ba.212

And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal—[thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged.212

Jābir ɗan ‘Abdullahi ya ruwaito cewa Manzon Allah ﷺ ya la'anci mai cin riba, mai biyanta, mai rubuta ta, da shaiduna biyu, ya kuma ce: "Dukansu daidai suke (a zunubi)."213 A dā da yanzu, mutane sun kan raina haɗarin mu'amalar riba, musamman idan an yi ta da yarda tsakanin juna. Sai dai hikimar Mahalicci tana fin kuntatawar fahimtarmu, kuma tana ɗaukar shiga mu'amalar riba a matsayin babban laifi. A zamaninmu, mun ga da idanunmu yadda tsarin riba ya lalata ƙasashe fiye da gyara, kuma faɗuwar tattalin arzikin Nijeriya da na Jamaica misalai biyu ne masu ban tausayi214 na abin da ke faruwa idan irin wannan babban kaso na kasafin shekara na ƙasa ya tafi wajen biyan bashi. Mugun yanayin bayar da lamuni da riba a bayyane yake; da alama hanya ce ta samun kuɗi cikin sauri, amma sau da yawa tana ƙara binne mutane da ƙasashe cikin bashi. Tana ɗora yawancin haɗari a kan mai bashi, kuma tana bar ƙaramin haɗari ga mai ba da bashin wanda ke "saka hannun jari" ta hanyar ba da rance. Haka kuma tana raina aiki da ƙwazo, kamar yadda Aristotle ya yi bayani,215 domin a nan kuɗi ne ke haifar da kuɗi, ba ƙoƙari ko sana'a ba. Sakamakon haka, masu arziki suna ƙara wadata a hankali, talakawa kuma suna ƙara talauci a hankali, har zuwa matsanancin halaka da ba a iya tunaninsa, wanda hakan kuma ya zama silar rugujewar tattalin arziki da tashe-tashen hankula daga marasa galihu, abubuwan da suka sha cinye ƙasashe da dama a tarihi, kamar yadda Plato ya taɓa gargaɗi.

Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh  reports that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم cursed the consumer of interest, its payer, its documenter, its two witnesses, and said, “They are all equal [in sin].”213 Past and present, people have downplayed the danger of an interest- bearing transaction, especially when effected by mutual consent. However, the wisdom of the Divine transcends our short-sightedness and deems engaging in interest-based transactions an enormity. Nowadays, we observe firsthand how interest-based systems have destroyed nations beyond repair, with the debacle of the Nigerian and Jamaican economies being just two tragic examples214 of what happens when such an enormous part of a nation’s annual budget is apportioned to debt repayment. The villainous nature of dispensing loans for interest is clear; it appears to be an avenue for quick funds, but it often buries people and countries further in debt. It places the bulk of the risk on the debtor and little risk on the creditor who “invests” by lending. It also disparages productivity and labor, as Aristotle argued,215 since money is what begets money here, not effort or craftsmanship. As a result, the rich steadily get richer while the poor steadily get poorer—to points of unthinkable devastation, which then become catalysts for financial meltdowns and uprisings by the underclass which have historically devoured many nations, as Plato once warned.

Saboda haka, Annabi Muhammad ﷺ ya haramta cin riba ta duniya daga bashi, inda ya ce: "Riba tana tare da hadarin asara."216

Hence, the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم outlawed profiting in the worldly sense from loans by saying, “Profit is contingent upon liability (the possibility of loss).”216

Baya ga cewa an haramta wa masu ba da bashi cajin riba kan lamuni, haka nan an haramta wa masu karɓar lamuni irin wannan bashin. Wannan yana hana masu karɓar bashi rayuwa fiye da abin da suke iya samu, wanda ke rage yadda masu ba da bashi za su iya cin zarafinsu, da kuma lalacewar muhalli da hauhawar amfani da kayayyaki (consumerism) ke haifarwa. Idan aka ƙara kan haɗarin riba (usury) haɗarin hasashe mai yawa (gharar), wanda Annabi ﷺ ma ya hana, to kuna da dukkan abubuwan da ke haifar da rikicin tattalin arziki. Rikicin kuɗi na 2008 misali ne na baya-bayan nan na haka. Saboda wannan dalili, wani yanayi na duniya yana bayyana a Turai da sauran wurare, wanda ke gane cewa dokokin kuɗi na Musulunci suna ba da wata madadin mai wartsakarwa da maganin matsalolin tattalin arziki. Yana nuna muhimmin manufa a bayan waɗannan dokoki, Allah ya ce game da kuɗi a cikin Alƙur'ani, "…domin kada ya zama yana yawo tsakanin masu wadata daga cikinku kawai." Wani ɓangare na wannan maganin shi ne rage tarin dukiya ta hanyar tsarin Zakka.

In addition to lenders being prohibited from charging interest on loans, borrowers are also prohibited from such loans. This prevents borrowers from living beyond their means, which mitigates their being exploited by lenders, and the ecological damage caused by consumerism. When you add to the perils of usury those of excessive speculation (gharar), which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم forbade as well,217 you have all the ingredients of an economic crisis. The 2008 financial meltdown was a relatively recent example of this. For this reason, a global trend is emerging in Europe and elsewhere that recognizes that Islamic financial regulations offer a refreshing alternative and remedy for economic woes.218 Highlighting a primary objective behind these regulations, Allah says about money in the Qur’an, “…so that it will not become a perpetual circulation [solely] among the rich from among you.”219 Another component of this remedy is the lessening of wealth concentration through the Zakat system.

Zakat yana ɗaya daga cikin ginshiƙan Musulunci guda biyar; sadaka ce ta wajibi da ake bayarwa a kan manyan kuɗaɗe, inda ake raba kashi 2.5% a kowace shekara, galibi ga talakawa, amma kuma ga wasu kyawawan dalilai. Hakika, tare da tsarin Zakat da yake kai wannan dukiya kai tsaye ga masu buƙata, damuwar da ake yawan faɗa cewa gwamnatoci suna cika da kuɗi ta hanyar harajin dukiyar masu arziki, ta ƙare. Haka kuma, sabanin harajin gwamnati, tsarin Zakat yana jaddada alhakin mutum a gaban Allah; Wanda ba a iya yaudararsa kamar yadda masu binciken gwamnati sukan yaudaru ta hannun masu kaucewa biyan haraji waɗanda ke motsa kadarorinsu zuwa wajen ƙasa.

Zakat is one of Islam’s five foundational pillars; an obligatory charity due on significant amounts of capital, whereby 2.5% must be redistributed annually, primarily among the poor but also to other noble causes. Of course, with the Zakat system funneling this wealth directly to those in need, the oft-cited concern of governments being overfed by taxing the rich’s wealth vanishes. Also, unlike governmental taxation, the Zakat system emphasizes one’s personal accountability before God; the One who cannot be deceived the way government auditors often are by creative evaders who move their assets outside of the country.