Sura-3 [Al-Imran, Medina 89 ]

The Quranic text and Ali’s version

Ya_ ayyuhal lazina a_manu_ la_ ta'kulur riba_ ad'a_fam muda_'fah(tan), wattaqulla_ha la'allakum tuflihu_n(a). Wattaqun na_ral lati u'iddat lil ka_firin(a).

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ لاَ تَأْكُلُواْ الرِّبَا أَضْعَافًا مُّضَاعَفَةً ...

3:130. O ye who believe! devour not usury, doubled and multiplied;

...وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ﴿١٣٠﴾

but fear Allah; that ye may (really) prosper.

وَاتَّقُواْ النَّارَ الَّتِي أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَافِرِينَ ﴿١٣١﴾

3:131. Fear the fire, which is prepared for those who reject faith.

وَأَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ﴿١٣٢﴾

3:132. And obey Allah and the Messenger; that ye may obtain mercy.

Asad’s Version:

3:130 O YOU who have attained to faith! Do not gorge yourselves on usury, doubling and re- doubling it 97 - but remain conscious of God, so that you might attain to a happy state; (3:131) and beware of the fire which awaits those who deny the truth!

3:132 And pay heed unto God and the Apostle, so that you might be graced with mercy.

Pickthall’s version

3: 130 [ al-iImran, Median 89]

.

O ye who believe! Devour not usury, doubling and quadrupling (the sum lent). Observe your duty to Allah, that ye may be successful.

3: 131 And ward off (from yourselves) the Fire prepared for disbelievers.

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[[Asad’s notes - 97 For a definition of riba ("usury"), see note 35 on 30: 39, the earliest Qur'anic reference to this term. As for the connection of the above verse with the subject-matter dealt with in the foregoing, the best explanation is, to my mind, the one offered by Qiffal (as quoted by Razi): Since it was mainly through usurious gains that the pagan Meccans had acquired the wealth which enabled them to equip their powerful army and almost to defeat the poorly-armed Muslims at Uhud, the latter might have been tempted to emulate their enemies in this respect; and it was to remove this temptation - from them as well as from later generations of believers - that the prohibition of usury was once again stressed through revelation. ]]

[ Ali’s notes - 450 Cf. ii. 275 and note. The last verse spoke of forgiveness, even to enemies. If such mercy is granted by Allah to erring sinners, how much more is it incumbent on us, poor sinners to refrain from oppressing our fellow-beings in need, in matters of mere material and ephemeral wealth? Usury is the opposite extreme of charity, unselfishness, striving, and giving of ourselves in the service of Allah and of our fellow-men. (3.130)

451. Real prosperity consists, not in greed, but in giving,-the giving of ourselves and of our substance in the cause of Allah and Allah's truth and in the service of Allah's creatures. (3.130) ]]