Muwatta
Malik

موطأ مالك

31

Business Transactions

كتاب البيوع

 

Chapter 38: Usury in Debts

Muwatta Malik 1433

Malik related to me that Zayd ibn Aslam said, "Usury in the Jahiliyya was that a man would give a loan to a man for a set term. When the term was due, he would say, 'Will you pay it off or increase me?' If the man paid, he took it. If not, he increased him in his debt and lengthened the term for him ." Malik said, "The disapproved of way of doing things about which there is no dispute among us, is that a man should give a loan to a man for a term, and then the demander reduce it and the one from whom it is demanded pay it in advance. To us that is like someone who delays repaying his debt after it is due to his creditor and his creditor increases his debt." Malik said, "This is nothing else but usury. No doubt about it." Malik spoke about a man who loaned one hundred dinars to a man for two terms. When it was due, the person who owed the debt said to him, "Sell me some goods, whose price is one hundred dinars in cash for one hundred and fifty on credit." Malik said, "This transaction is not good, and the people of knowledge still forbid it." Malik said, "This is disapproved of because the creditor himself gives the debtor the price of what the man sells him, and he defers repayment of the hundred of the first transaction for the debtor for the term which is mentioned to him in the second transaction, and the debtor increases him with fifty dinars for his deferring him. That is disapproved of and it is not good. It also resembles the hadith of Zayd ibn Aslam about the transactions of the people of the Jahiliyya. When their debts were due, they said to the person with the debt, 'Either you pay in full or you increase it.' If they paid, they took it, and if not they increased debtors in their debts, and extended the term for them."
وَحَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ كَانَ الرِّبَا فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلرَّجُلِ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ الْحَقُّ إِلَى أَجَلٍ فَإِذَا حَلَّ الأَجَلُ قَالَ أَتَقْضِي أَمْ تُرْبِي فَإِنْ قَضَى أَخَذَ وَإِلاَّ زَادَهُ فِي حَقِّهِ وَأَخَّرَ عَنْهُ فِي الأَجَلِ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالأَمْرُ الْمَكْرُوهُ الَّذِي لاَ اخْتِلاَفَ فِيهِ عِنْدَنَا أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلرَّجُلِ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ الدَّيْنُ إِلَى أَجَلٍ فَيَضَعُ عَنْهُ الطَّالِبُ وَيُعَجِّلُهُ الْمَطْلُوبُ وَذَلِكَ عِنْدَنَا بِمَنْزِلَةِ الَّذِي يُؤَخِّرُ دَيْنَهُ بَعْدَ مَحِلِّهِ عَنْ غَرِيمِهِ وَيَزِيدُهُ الْغَرِيمُ فِي حَقِّهِ قَالَ فَهَذَا الرِّبَا بِعَيْنِهِ لاَ شَكَّ فِيهِ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ فِي الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ لَهُ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ مِائَةُ دِينَارٍ إِلَى أَجَلٍ فَإِذَا حَلَّتْ قَالَ لَهُ الَّذِي عَلَيْهِ الدَّيْنُ بِعْنِي سِلْعَةً يَكُونُ ثَمَنُهَا مِائَةَ دِينَارٍ نَقْدًا بِمِائَةٍ وَخَمْسِينَ إِلَى أَجَلٍ هَذَا بَيْعٌ لاَ يَصْلُحُ وَلَمْ يَزَلْ أَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَإِنَّمَا كُرِهَ ذَلِكَ لأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يُعْطِيهِ ثَمَنَ مَا بَاعَهُ بِعَيْنِهِ وَيُؤَخِّرُ عَنْهُ الْمِائَةَ الأُولَى إِلَى الأَجَلِ الَّذِي ذَكَرَ لَهُ آخِرَ مَرَّةٍ وَيَزْدَادُ عَلَيْهِ خَمْسِينَ دِينَارًا فِي تَأْخِيرِهِ عَنْهُ فَهَذَا مَكْرُوهٌ وَلاَ يَصْلُحُ وَهُوَ أَيْضًا يُشْبِهُ حَدِيثَ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ فِي بَيْعِ أَهْلِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا حَلَّتْ دُيُونُهُمْ قَالُوا لِلَّذِي عَلَيْهِ الدَّيْنُ إِمَّا أَنْ تَقْضِيَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ تُرْبِيَ ‏.‏ فَإِنْ قَضَى أَخَذُوا وَإِلاَّ زَادُوهُمْ فِي حُقُوقِهِمْ وَزَادُوهُمْ فِي الأَجَلِ ‏.‏