Third: Allah says, “And give up what remains of usury,” that is, leave it entirely. This is a direct command to abandon riba, and a command signifies obligation, so whoever persists in riba has disobeyed Allah’s order.

Fourth: The Almighty has proclaimed war on anyone who will not desist from dealing in riba. He says, “But if you do not do so”—that is, if you will not give up riba—“then be informed of a war from Allah and His Messenger,” meaning: know that you are fighting against Allah and His Messenger.

Fifth: He labels the usurer an oppressor, in His words, “You shall have your principal; do not wrong and you shall not be wronged.”

Among the usurious transactions is the interest-bearing loan: a person lends something on condition that it be repaid with an excess, or hands over a sum of money to be returned with an agreed increase—exactly what the banks practice today, and it is undisguised riba. Banks make loan contracts with people in need, merchants, factory owners, craftsmen, and others, advancing them money for a fixed interest calculated as a percentage. If repayment is delayed, that percentage rises, so both kinds of riba are combined in a single deal: riba al-faḍl (surplus usury) and riba al-nasī’ah (deferred usury).

Another usurious practice is the interest-bearing deposit found in banks. These are fixed-term deposits that the bank invests until the term expires, then pays the depositor a fixed return at a specified percentage, such as ten percent or five percent.