275. " those who devour usury will not rise up save like such the one whom
satan has confounded with the touch of madness. that is because
they say: `bargaining is just like usury',
whereas allah has permitted bargaining and forbidden usury.
hence, whoever receives an admonition from his lord, then desists,
for him shall be what has already passed,
and his affair rests with allah.
and whoever reverts (to usury) ِ then they are the inhabitants of the fire,
wherein shall they abide forever."

commentary:
in arabic philology, the word /riba/ (usury) means `an excess, an
addition'. usurers have been likened to the persons whom satan has
driven them mad. on the day of judgement, usurers will be raised like
mad ones, because they have such an unjust manner in this world.
mammonism makes their eyes of intellect blind. by their action, they
produce difference of levels in the society, because they do not even
think of sympathy, emotions and humanitarianism. they go so far that
poverty and hatred cause a burst in the society so that the principle of
possession becomes unstable, too.

" those who devour usury will not rise up save like such the one whom
satan has confounded with the touch of madness...."

another point is that: to some persons, usury seems a principle,
too. hence, they say that bargaining and usury are the same. as the
verse says:

"... whereas allah has permitted bargaining and forbidden usury."

explanations:
1. the usurers are deprived from equilibrium and, consequently,
they disturb the economical equilibrium of the society.

2. the justification of sin pave the way for more committing sins.

"... that is because they say: ` bargaining is just like usury,..."

3. it can be spared for those who are not aware of it, but not at all
for those who know it and persist on doing it.

"... and whoever reverts (to usury) ِ then they are the inhabitants
of the fire, ..."

objecting on usury began through verses of the qur'an revealed
from before the prophet's emigration. for example, in sura ar-rum,
which was revealed in mecca, a verse about usury says: "... but it
increases not with allah, ..." 1 then, in sura 'al-i-`imran, no. 3 allah
commands: "... devour not interest ...",2 which means usury is prohibited.
thus the most criticism and prohibition have occurred in these verses of
sura al-baqarah.

by the way, the qur'an through the statement: "and, (for) taking
interest, though indeed forbidden were they against it ..."3 announces that
usury had been forbidden in the jewish religion, too. this prohibition is
stated in turah manifestly.4

in sura al-baqarah, the verses of usury have occurred next to the
verses of charity in order to state the two aspects of good and evil which
may come forth by means of wealth. charity is a `giving' without
recompense, but usury is a `taking' without recompense. in contrast to
the good effects that charity has in the society, usury creates evil effects
therein. that is why the qur'an, in the next verse, says: "allah effaces
usury and he causes charities to flourish, ...".5

the threats that are cited in the qur'an against taking interest in
usury and accepting the dominance of illegitimate rulers, are such that
they are not cited against even murder, oppression, drinking wine,
gambling, and fornication. therefore the prohibition of usury has been
decidedly considered as a great sin by all islamic parties.

"... hence, whoever receives an admonition from his lord, then desists,
for him shall be what has already passed,
and his affair rests with allah. ..."

it is narrated in a tradition that when imam sadiq (a.s.) was
informed that so and so was a usurer, he said: " if i were allowed by allah
i would behead him." 6

it happened that amir-ul-mu'mineen ali (a.s) met a usurer. he
(a.s.) wanted him to repent from his action. when he repented ali (a.s.)
let him go and told him: " the usurer must be made repent from his action
just like that a person is made repent from polytheism ".

it is narrated from imam baqir (a.s.) who said: " the worst income
is (the interest of) usury." 7

the messenger of allah (p.b.u.h.) said: " when allah wills to
destroy a town, usury appears therein." 8"and, allah has cursed usurer, his
agent, and the writer of usury."9
shaykh mufid has cited in his book:10 "whoever considers usury
lawful, should be beheaded."
imam sadiq (a.s), stating the reason of repetition of the verses of
usury in the qur'an, says: " it is for making the rich prepared to do works
of benevolence and spending charities; because, on one hand, usury is
unlawful (haram), and, on the other hand, compiling wealth as a file is also
unlawful. then, there remains no remedy for the rich but charity and
productive useful jobs." 11

also, upon the motive of the prohibition of usury, it is said that
since usury is a kind of hinder for money to be used in the way of
production and works of public utility, and, instead of effort and
endeavour, only the interest of money is enjoyed, then usury has
become forbidden.

again, it is narrated from imam sadiq (a.s.) who have said: " if
usury were permitted (halal), people would leave their businesses and
trade." 12

it is also narrated from imam rida (a.s.) who said: "if usury
becomes prevalent, the loan giving will disappear." 13
at the end of the verse, it says:

"... and whoever reverts (to usury) ِ then they are the inhabitants of
the fire, wherein shall they abide forever."

the word /`ada/ `returns', here, means that those who do not
return from usury and commit again devouring interest, will be the
inhabitants of the fire of hell and they will remain there for ever.

the disadvantages of usury:
taking additional money, without performing any useful work, is
unjust and it is overburdening, which causes hatred and enmity. the
giver of interest sometimes has to fail and, as a result of debts that
increases progressively, accepts kinds of disgrace and captivity.

usury disturbs the equilibrium of the society and causes it to be
divided into two poles: the oppressors and the oppressed.

usury is the reason of prayers to be invalid.

regarding these destructive causes, not only in the religion of
islam, but also in all heavenly religions, usury has been forbidden. but,
clinging to few pretexts, some worldly people try to justify usury or try to
find a way of fly. yet, usury has certainly its own destructive effects,
though some social groups have accepted it in their own economical
system.

usury is an injustice and its disavantages encompass those who
apply it. the progress of the western communities is because of their
attentiveness to science and industry, not because of usury.

by the way, usurers should be aware of the warnings of the
qur'an. (applying to legal tricks, like the jews who did for going fishing
on saturday, is only a sort of game.). the qur'an has not been heedless
of such games and has criticized them.

also, since economic affairs may attract people into the trap of
usury, there is a tradition which says: " he who begins trading without
knowing (the religious laws of trading), will be involved in usury".14

1 sura ar-rum, no. 30, verse 39.
2 sura 'al-i-`imran, no. 3, verse 129.
3 sura an-nisa, no. 4, verse 161.
4 the turah, exodus, chapter 23, and levitious, chapter 25.
5 sura al-baqarah, no. 2, verse 276
6 wasa'il-ush-shiah, vol. 12, p. 429.
7 al-kafi, vol. 5, p. 147.
8 kanz-ul-'a`mal, vol. 4, p. 104.
9 wasa'il-ush-shiah, vol. 12, p. 430.
10 muqna`ah, p. 129.
11 wasa'il-ush-shi`ah, vol. 12, p. 423.
12 bihar-ul-anwar, vol. 103, p. 119.
13 alhayat, vol. 4, p. 334.
14 nahj-ul-balaqah, saing 447.