1 | O People! There is no other deity but Allah! |
2 | The Compassionate, the Beneficent, the Gracious; |
3 | All prayers and homage be to Allah and no other! |
4 | A true Muslim honors his word. |
5 | Thus all obligations made freely and fair by word and oath must be honored. |
6 | So it is the merchant and moneylender declare all debts must be paid. |
7 | Indeed, all debts through agreement are first with Allah and secondly with the merchant. |
8 | Thus to break such an agreement willingly is to breach the oath and promise with Allah. |
9 | Yet the merchants and money lenders are artful with trickery |
10 | They load an obligation with interest, which is forbidden under the law of Islam, |
11 | They add penalties and burdens to an obligation for the most trifling of reasons, |
12 | The misrepresent the size of the burden |
13 | And seek at costs to extract the bond of one’s word and oath, |
14 | As if a promise or oath given under bad faith still holds true. |
15 | Verily, when one is deceived in promise, |
16 | When one is forced to take a burden greater than they can carry, |
17 | When merchants change the terms, or add burdens or interest, |
18 | Then such debts are obligated to be broken. |
19 | Even when a debt is taken, the money lenders and merchants have many devious ways to extract benefit. |
20 | They often forbid such debts to be traded against obligations owed. |
21 | Instead, they demand one must pay, even when withholding what is owed to settle. |
22 | Verily, a man must be afforded the opportunity of settling his debts, |
23 | And receiving settlement of the debts owed to him, |
24 | At least four times a year, |
25 | So that no man of a community who works and earns his way is required to hold a full debt for a year or more. |
26 | Merchants and money lenders who refuse to balance the debts of a community in this way, |
27 | Default their right to all debts owed to them. |
28 | Truly, it is better to forgive debt and retain honor than to demand the torture or death of a poor man who cannot pay his debts. |
29 | Whoso desires that Allah should redeem him from the sorrows and travail of the last day, |
30 | Must delay in calling on poor debtors, or abusing the position of those of poor means. |
31 | A man of honor before Allah will forgive the debt in part or whole before the end of year if such debt has been itself honored. |
32 | Whoso has a thing wherewith to discharge a debt, and refuses to do it, |
33 | It is right they be dishonored of actions not worthy of any true Muslim. |