—He enjoined zakat upon the rich as a right belonging to the poor, and forbade the rich from engaging in usury, which harms the poor. He, Most High, said:

“Allah destroys usury and gives increase to charities.”

And He, Most High, said:

“Whatever you give in usury so that it may increase through people’s wealth does not increase with Allah. But whatever you give in zakat, seeking the countenance of Allah—it is those givers whose reward will be multiplied.”

Thus, wrongdoers withhold zakat and consume usury. In gambling, however, either gambler may win the other’s money, and the loser may be the wealthy one, or both may be equally rich or poor. Gambling therefore constitutes consuming wealth unlawfully, so Allah has forbidden it. Yet it does not involve the same injustice and harm to the needy as usury does. It is well known that wronging someone in need is graver than wronging someone who is not in need.

It is also well known that the scholars of Medina prohibited usury, forbade legal stratagems intended to make it lawful, and blocked the means leading to it. How can this be compared with the conduct of those who permit stratagems for taking usury—indeed, who even show people how to do so? This becomes clear by considering, for example, usury through unequal exchange and usury through deferment.

As for usury through unequal exchange, authentic hadith establish—and the majority of the Companions and Successors, together with the four imams, agree—that gold, silver, wheat, barley, dates and raisins may be sold for their own kind only in equal quantities. Any excess over an equal quantity constitutes consuming wealth unlawfully and committing injustice. Thus, if a debtor wishes to sell a hundred broken dinars