Khutba on ‘Adl and Riba

الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي جعل العدل في الأرض الميزان، وأمر عباده به وبالإحسان،  نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر.

There are certain attributes of our Lord that are His and His alone and do not befit the human being as they refer to His exaltedness and separation from existence, while there are others that refer to His connection with existence – the way He deals with His creation. This latter type are the qualities that we are encouraged to acquire and the qualities that were embodied by the Messenger of Allah. Among these are mercy, generosity, forgiveness and knowledge, and a quality that is especially lacking in the present world, ‘adl. This word ’adl is often translated as justice, but it also has the sense of balance and putting things in their right place. All of these are lacking in a modern society that is in fact built on a foundation of injustice, for riba is its basic cornerstone. Indeed, the institutions that must not be allowed to fail according to such societies are the banks, and the indicators of a country’s well-being are its interest rates. Riba is not just rife, it is intrinsic. And even worse, it is considered benign and positive by many of the ‘prophets’ of the age, the economists. But, in reality, it is rotten to the core. It appears as growth, but it is a cancerous growth, a growth that is alien to the delicately balanced ecosystem of the world, and disrupts, bringing misery and destruction in its wake. And not just at an individual economic level, but at a societal and ecological level too. The environment is getting more and more polluted, hundreds of species of animal, many vital to preserving the balance of the planet’s ecosystem, are becoming extinct every moment, and the divide between rich and poor is becoming larger by the day. It has even led to a proliferation of psychological diseases and the increasingly common phenomenon of gender confusion and aberrant sexual orientation. For riba is pure dhulm – things being moved out of their rightful place and put in the wrong place, and it affects everything it touches, even at a chemical and biological level. Everything in this universe has been carefully balanced and structured, at both a macro and a micro level, from the distance of the earth from the sun and moon to the structure and interplay of atoms, from the number and type of species in a given environment to the functions of the organs in the body. It has all been carefully and perfectly balanced and proportioned. Allah says,

الَّذِي خَلَقَكَ فَسَوَّاكَ فَعَدَلَكَ فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ مَا شَاءَ رَكَّبَكَ

the translation of which is, “ّIt is He Who created you and formed you and proportioned you/made you ‘adl and assembled you in whatever way He willed.” And al-Alusi narrates that the Prophet said, 

بالعدل قامت السماوات والأرض

“The heavens and the earth have been built upon ‘adl.” i.e. balance and precision in terms of placement and measure. Each thing has its balance and counterweight. The one thing offsets the other, leaving everything in harmony. But such a destructive act of imbalance as riba sets off a chain reaction, leaving imbalance in its wake even at a chemical and molecular level. It destroys everything it comes into contact with and leaves a desolate ruin behind. It does not just affect the people directly involved  in the transaction, but everyone and everything around them. Collateral damage takes on a new meaning. And for that reason, it is considered one of the worst possible crimes, worse than fornication with one’s mother in the holiest of places, so bad that our Lord declares war on it in His Book. Allah says,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ

the translation of which is, “You who believe! have taqwa of Allah and forgo any remaining riba if you are believers. If you do not, know that it means war from Allah and His Messenger.” Imam Malik said, “I have examined the Book of Allah and the Sunna of His Prophet and have not seen anything in it more evil than riba, for Allah has declared war on it.”
All of the attempts of various governments to cure society’s woes and reduce inequality and restore balance are doomed to fail because they do not address its cause, only its symptoms. They seek to use riba to right the wrongs of riba. Imbalance will ever beget imbalance, and injustice will only ever lead to injustice. Only completely forgoing it and restoring fairness and justice to transactions will bring success. That is our job not just as Muslims, but as human beings on this earth, for as the Messenger of Allah said, 

إن العدل ميزان الله في الأرض

“Justice is Allah’s balance upon the earth.” And we are His khulafa on this earth, we are those who are in charge of making sure the world runs in the manner in which He commanded that it be run. 

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم.

الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين. أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته. قال الله في كتابه العزيز إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ

Allah says in His Mighty Book ,the translation of which is, “Allah commands justice and doing good.” The restoration of justice and balance involves two steps – firstly, the removal of the major cause of injustice and imbalance, namely riba, and secondly, the restoration of all those practices and institutions that allow and enable justice and balance.
In order to complete the first step, we must be able to recognise what usury is, for usury too has practices and institutions. And while many of the ulama recognise and decry the practices, they overlook the institutions that enable them, and instead of calling for their abolishment, they help prop them up. Every major bank today, institutions which could not exist without riba, every major bank has its halal division and Islamic scholars on its payroll. But something which is inherently haram can never be made halal, so all they do is misguide the uninformed and bring Allah’s wrath upon them and themselves. Do you not see that there can be no such thing as halal pig meat? It is only acceptable in times of darura, in times of absolute necessity, but even then it is never championed or declared halal. People, especially those of knowledge, need to wake up to what is happening in the world around them. Non-Muslims are increasingly recognising the reality of the world we live in, is it not about time that we do too? And the difference between them and us is that we know how to rectify things and put things right. We have the solution. In his tafsir of Allah’s Words, “Allah commands ‘adl and ihsaan…”, al-Qurtubi says that ‘adl may be interpreted to mean all that is obligatory while ihsan refers to all that is supererogatory. In other words, to achieve justice and balance, we must put into place the deen of Allah. We must have knowledge of and do what He has made obligatory for us, that is the only way to bring balance back to the world.
This applies in relation to your contract with Allah – your world cannot be in balance if you are not doing the prayer, for example, or fasting Ramadan, but it also applies at every level of your contract with yourself and your contract with others, human or otherwise.
You must be balanced in yourself and not fall prey to excess or extremism, whether at the level of belief or action, and you must look after your health and your sanity. Your self has rights over you. It is narrated that when Salman al-Farisi went to visit Abu’d Darda, Abu’d Darda made him some food, but refused to eat himself saying he was fasting. So Salman said, “I will not eat until you eat.” So Abu’d Darda ate. Then when night arrived, Abu d’Darda stood up to pray night prayers. So Salman told him, “Go to sleep”. And a little later in the night, he again got up to pray, so Salman again told him to sleep. And then when the final portion of the night arrived, Salman said to him, “Now get up and pray.” Then Salman said, 

إِنَّ لِرَبِّكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، وَلِنَفْسِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، وَلِأَهْلِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، فَأَعْطِ كُلَّ ذِي حَقٍّ حَقَّهُ

“Your Lord has a right over you, your self has a right over you and your family has a right over you, so give each its right and due.” When the Messenger of Allah heard what Salman had said, he said, “Salman has spoken the truth.”
As for ‘adl towards people, that implies being fair in your transactions with them, fulfilling your contracts to the letter, giving them full weight and measure, and even fair in your words, only saying to them what is fair, just and commensurate. Allah says,

وَأَوْفُوا الْكَيْلَ وَالْمِيزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ لَا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا وَإِذَا قُلْتُمْ فَاعْدِلُوا وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَا قُرْبَى

the translation of which is, “that you give full measure and full weight with justice – We impose on no self any more than it can bear; that you are equitable when you speak – even if a near relative is concerned.”
And if you are in a position of leadership, it is incumbent that you make sure that everyone receives what is rightfully theirs, regardless of status, sex or religion. Allah says,

وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ أَنْ تَحْكُمُوا بِالْعَدْلِ

the translation of which is, “And if you judge between people, judge between them with justice and fairness.” It is only when ‘adl is restored in all its facets that this world will be set back on an even keel, and its good health and well-being restored. That is our job, as Muslims, and as the khalifas of this earth. There is no one else to do it, so we must step forward. It starts with education and concludes with obedience and action.We ask Allah to restore justice in us and through us and remove all the obstacles from its path.

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ  أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة التي أمرنا الله في سورة النور أن ندافع عنها، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى. 

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.