Reality of Debt - Shaykh Muhammad Ali

Khutbah: The Reality of Debt

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we seek His help and we seek His forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, no one can misguide, and whomsoever He misguides, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner.

I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. He conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust and advised the Ummah. And he left us on the clear white path — its night is like its day. Nothing escapes it except one who is destroyed. May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him and his family and companions, and whoever follows them with good till the Day of Recompense.

Indeed, the most truthful speech is the word of Allah. And the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of things are newly invented matters. And every newly invented matter is an innovation. And every innovation is a misguidance. May Allah protect us from it.

O Allah, make us of the winners in this world and the hereafter. O Allah, we believe.

Introduction: The Five Necessities Islam Protects

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, our religion came to protect five things for us. First of all, our religion was given to us and it was sent down to protect and preserve the religion itself. Also, to preserve life. And also to preserve the intellect. And also to preserve the lineage and the honour of the person. And finally, to protect and preserve the wealth of the people.

The Longest Ayah of the Quran — On Debt

If I was to ask you a question today, and I was to say to you: which ayah is the longest ayah of the Quran? The majority of you will get the answer right. And you will say to me, Brother Muhammad Ali, the longest ayah of the Quran is in Surah Al-Baqarah. And Allah has said in that ayah:

The longest ayah of the Quran is in Surah Al-Baqarah. And it's a whole page. But what does it talk about? It talks about a very important concept in our religion — which is the concept of debt. We live in a world today where so many people are in debt. The question now is: as a Muslim, you need to know the rules regarding this matter — the matter of taking a loan or being in debt.

The Shari'ah's Stern Warning Against Debt

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam:

Our Shari'ah came and it has taken the matter of debt — of borrowing money — seriously. And it warns the people against it. And it encourages people to stay away from borrowing money unless they have to.

The Prophet's Du'a Seeking Refuge from Debt

Aisha رضي الله عنها said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 832; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 589)

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in his Salah very often used to recite this du'a: "O Allah, I seek refuge with you from sins and also from al-Maghram." And what is Maghram? Heavy debt. How many of us are in debt today? How many of us know someone who is severely in debt?

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to ask Allah: "O Allah, protect me from being someone who owes other people so much." A companion said to him: "Ya Rasulullah, how often do you seek refuge in Allah from heavy debt?" And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "If a man borrows money, what happens is: when he speaks, he lies; and when he makes a promise, he breaks his promise."

How often has someone come to you, taken money from you, and was never to be seen after that? Or when you call him and say: "Brother, where is my money?" He says: "Brother, by Allah, I will come and see you tomorrow" — and he never turns up. "Brother, I am in trouble" — when he is not in trouble. He has the money but he does not want to pay you back. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: if a man borrows money, when he speaks he lies, and when he makes a promise he breaks his promise. And this is exactly the reality. SubhanAllah.

Even a Martyr Cannot Enter Paradise if He Has Unpaid Debt

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, let us look at the seriousness of debt. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith 4684; authenticated by al-Albani)

SubhanAllah. Look at what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said. If a man was killed for the sake of Allah while he was fighting for His sake, and then he was given life again and killed once more, and then given life again and killed a third time — that man will not enter Paradise until his debt is paid off. SubhanAllah.

Three Things: If Free from Them, Jannah is Guaranteed

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 2412; Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1572)

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said: if someone dies free from three things, that person will enter Jannah. What are the three things he needs to be free from? Number one is arrogance — al-kibr. Number two is cheating — al-ghulul. And number three is debt.

The Prophet Did Not Pray Janazah Over One Who Died in Debt

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, do we know that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not used to offer Salatul Janazah on someone if he knew that he was in debt — unless someone said, "I am going to take care of his debt." It is quite serious, this matter, brothers and sisters in Islam. But how easily do we take and borrow money these days. And imagine if you were to die while you still owe money to other people, and no one is even aware of it. SubhanAllah. It is quite a serious matter.

What the Salaf Said About Debt

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, let us remind ourselves what the Salaf have said regarding the matter of debt. Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه, look at what he said:

Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه said: "Be aware of debts." Why? At the beginning is worry. You know the time — as soon as you borrow money, what happens? You will have sleepless nights. You will be worried: How am I going to pay this money back? How am I going to pay it off? It begins with a worry. And then Umar ibn al-Khattab said: "And the end of it is war."

How is the end of debt war? How many people do we know — you lent them money, but they never paid you back, and after that you fell out with that person? How many brothers and sisters don't talk to each other right now? They don't trust one another. Why? One of them borrowed money from his older brother, or a sister borrowed money from her older sister, or from a friend, but she has never paid them back. And because of that, now there is war. Those family members don't speak to one another. Is that the case, my brothers? This is what we see.

Also, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, remember — when you borrow money and you do not pay it back, what are you doing? You are causing oppression. You are oppressing that person.

And insha'Allah ta'ala, in today's khutbah, we will also touch upon some of the etiquettes of lending money. Because so many times the mashayikh and the imams deal with cases where someone comes to the masjid and says to the imam: "Someone has borrowed money from me — a brother who comes to the masjid — but he doesn't want to pay me back." And then when the imam speaks to the other brother, the other brother can easily refuse and say: "I've never borrowed any money from him. Has he got any proof that I borrowed money from him? Where is the proof?" And if you don't have proof, what can the imam do for you? Nothing. SubhanAllah.

So we are going to talk about the etiquettes of borrowing money, insha'Allah ta'ala, in the second part of our khutbah.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Second Part of the Khutbah

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى إِحْسَانِهِ وَالشُّكْرُ لَهُ عَلَى تَوْفِيقِهِ وَامْتِنَانِهِ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

The Soul is Imprisoned Until Debt is Repaid

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, the seriousness of debt. Look at what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said:

(Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1078; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 2413)

SubhanAllah. Your soul will be imprisoned until your debt is paid back. You are not going to get what you were supposed to get in the next life, in the akhirah, unless your debt is paid back.

The Etiquettes of Borrowing and Lending

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, insha'Allah ta'ala I am going to touch upon something that is going to help all of us. Our Shari'ah is so beautiful. Our Shari'ah is so complete. Our Shari'ah is flawless. Alhamdulillah. And look at the rulings and also the etiquettes that the Shari'ah has taught us. If we were to practise them, no disputation would have taken place.

Etiquettes for the Borrower (Al-Madin)

Number one: الِاقْتِرَاضُ عِنْدَ الضَّرُورَةِ — Do not borrow money unless you have to.

Do not borrow money unless you have to. But we live in a society where we are being told that we need to buy things we do not need with money we do not have. This is the reality. So many people right now — their house, how did they buy it? On credit. The car that they are driving is on credit. The clothing that they are wearing is on credit. How are you going to exist, subhanAllah? Imagine if you die. SubhanAllah. So number one: do not borrow something unless you have to.

Number two: الْعَزِيمَةُ عَلَى قَضَاءِ الدَّيْنِ — Have the firm intention to repay the debt.

When you are borrowing money, you must have the intention to repay it back. If the lender doesn't know your intention, Allah is aware of it. As He said:

Allah said: "He knows the treachery of the eyes and what the hearts conceal." And look at this very serious hadith. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2387)

SubhanAllah. Allah knows our intentions. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has said: "Anybody who takes the wealth of other people while he has the intention to repay them back, Allah will assist him and he will be able to repay his debt. But if someone borrows money and has no intention to repay that money back, Allah will not assist that person."

Brothers and sisters, how many people do we know that came to us and borrowed money from us, and after that have disappeared? Sometimes people come to the masjid and they borrow from this brother, and from that brother, and from that brother, and they do not pay it back. People trust you because you come to the masjid. This person didn't ask you for a credit check. He didn't say: "How do I know that you're going to pay me back?" He saw you in the masjid a few times, coming to the jama'a, listening to the study circles, attending lessons — and then the people trust you. And then you take money from them and you are nowhere to be seen after that.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: if you borrow money from someone and you have the intention to pay it back, Allah will assist you. Otherwise, if you take people's money without having the intention to pay it back, Allah will never give you support in that matter. Remember this — it is a very important hadith.

Number three: Do not borrow more than you need.

Number four: الْوَفَاءُ بِالدَّيْنِ فِي مَوْعِدِهِ — Repay the debt by the time you promised. Make sure that you repay the money by the time that you promised you were going to repay it. Very, very important.

Etiquettes for the Lender (Al-Dain)

Number one: اسْتِحْضَارُ النِّيَّةِ الصَّالِحَةِ — Have a righteous intention. When you are lending money to someone, you should have the intention that you are doing this as an act of worship. So you get ajr for that.

Number two: إِنْظَارُ الْمُعْسِرِ — Give respite to the one who is struggling. If someone is struggling to pay you back and is going through financial difficulties, what do you need to do? You need to give them respite. As Allah has said:

Allah said: if someone borrowed money from you and they are going through financial difficulties and they cannot pay you back, do not charge them interest. What are you going to say to them? "I will wait for you, I will give you respite." And Allah tells us something even better — one step better. What is that? وَأَن تَصَدَّقُوا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ — If you let it go, if you forgive the person and say: "Khallas, my brother, you borrowed 500 pounds from me — you cannot pay me back right now — I have forgiven you for the sake of Allah." Allah said: "That is better for you, if only you know." SubhanAllah. Imagine when Allah promised you that He is going to pay you back. Amazing.

Du'as for Relief from Debt

My dear brothers, I want to remind myself and you as well. Because some of you right now owe money, and you want Allah to assist you with this. Do we have certain du'as that we can read? Yes.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم once came to the masjid and saw one of the companions — Abu Umama — sitting in the masjid at a time that was not the time for Salah. So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said to him: "How come that you are here in the masjid right now and it is not time for Salah?" And the companion said: "Ya Rasulullah, the reason I am sitting here right now is I am in debt and I have many worries. That is why I am sitting here." And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught him this du'a:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2893; Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1555)

"O Allah, I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, and I seek refuge with You from incapacity and laziness, and I seek refuge with You from cowardice and miserliness, and I seek refuge with You from being overwhelmed by debt and from the oppression of men."

Learn this du'a. If you did not know it off by heart, this is a du'a you should be reading in the morning and also in the afternoon.

Also, Ali رضي الله عنه saw a man who was struggling with debt — money that he could not pay back. And Ali رضي الله عنه said to him: "Let me teach you this du'a." And the du'a is:

(Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3563)

"O Allah, suffice me with Your halal provision against Your haram, and enrich me by Your grace so that I need none other than You."

Learn these du'as, ikhwani. The beauty of our Shari'ah is that we have been given, alhamdulillah, the tools that will help us with everything. SubhanAllah. So if you are going through difficulties right now — if you owe so much money and you don't know how to pay it back and you are struggling — learn these du'as, practise them, and insha'Allah ta'ala, do it with a proper intention. Remember the hadith that we just mentioned: if you borrow money with the intention to pay it back, Allah will assist you. If not, Allah will not assist you at all.

Write Down Your Debts — Before You Die

As a brother and a sister right now, just before you leave the masjid — we've talked about this important concept — you do not want to die while you owe money. And another problem is: sometimes we do not even tell our own family members that we owe money to other people. You will be a prisoner. You will be stuck. You will not be given what you were supposed to enjoy in the next life unless your debt is paid. So it is very, very important that you write down whatever you owe. Also write down what other people owe you. Write it down. Give it to someone from your family and say: "This is what other people owe me, and this is what I owe other people." Very, very important.

The Importance of Writing Down Debts and Having Witnesses

Let me close the khutbah with this. Do you know that your du'a against a person who borrowed money from you and did not repay it will not be accepted by Allah if you did not write the debt down and there were no witnesses? If you miss these etiquettes when someone is borrowing money from you — do not say: "Oh, I have good faith in this brother. He comes to the masjid. I know this brother. He is my friend. How can I ask him to write it down?" No. This is your right. And these are the etiquettes Islam taught us — because the human being can forget. I can forget that I borrowed money from you last year. How much it was, I can forget. When did I say I would pay you back? I might forget. That is why it is important to write it down. Even if your brother in blood or your sister in blood is borrowing money from you — write it down. And also have two witnesses. As Allah said:

SubhanAllah. These etiquettes, if we were to follow them, we would not have had the problems that we sometimes have among the brothers, among the sisters, and among the community members.

Conclusion

So insha'Allah ta'ala, today you should go home with this. And say: next time if I am borrowing money or lending money, I know the etiquettes that I have to follow. Also, if I am borrowing money, I have to make sure that my intention is right — that I want to pay it back. If you are lending money, you have to do it with good intention as well, so that Allah will give you ajr for that. And finally, remember, insha'Allah ta'ala: do not borrow money unless you have to. Do not borrow money unless you have to. And whatever you owe right now — write it down, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam.