In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all creation, and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and all his Companions.
ʿAbdullāh Ibn Masʿood narrated that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
ما ظهرَ في قومٍ الزِّنا والرِّبا ؛ إلَّا أحلُّوا بأنفسِهِم عذابَ اللهِ
“Fornication and ribā do not become manifest among a people except that they render themselves deserving of the punishment of Allāh.”
Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad (3809), graded sahīh by Ahmad Shākir; and authenticated by al-Albānī in Sahīh at-Targheeb (1860).
Shaikh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullāh) said: “The Messenger (ﷺ) cursed the people of usury and those who make permissible what is prohibited, and he (ﷺ) said: ‘Fornication and ribā do not become manifest among a people except that they render themselves deserving of the punishment of Allāh.’ This is like the evidence that states that making permissible fornication is like making permissible ʿīnah1 which is a form of usury — and making permissible fornication (zinā) and interest (ribā); and when they become manifest [among people] then the punishment of Allah becomes obligated upon them which is mentioned in other narrations.” (Al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā 6/42; See Jamharat al-Āhādīth 3/505)
1. ʿĪnah (العِينَة) is a form of legal stratagem (hīlah) used to disguise a loan involving ribā (usury or interest) as a sale transaction. It is commonly referred to as bayʿul-ʿīnah (بيع العينة). The basic structure is as follows: A seller sells an item to a buyer on deferred payment for a higher price (e.g. £1,200 payable in 12 months). Immediately afterwards, the seller buys back the same item from the buyer for a lower cash price (e.g. £1,000).
