was what you purchased! Tell Zayd that he has nullified his jihad alongside the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, unless he repents.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever combines two sales in one transaction must accept the lower of the two prices, or else it is usury.”

Ibn ‘Abbās was asked about this and said, “Dirhams for dirhams, with a piece of silk inserted between them.” Anas ibn Mālik said, “This is among the things Allah and His Messenger have forbidden.”

The third form is that he purchases the commodity privately, then sells it openly to the person seeking to borrow, after which one of them sells it. This is called tawarruq, because the buyer’s aim is neither trade nor selling; rather, he needs dirhams. Thus, he receives one hundred while remaining liable for one hundred and twenty, for example. The early generations and the scholars differed over this.

Here, too, the stronger view is that it is prohibited. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz said, in substance, that tawarruq is the root of usury. Allah has forbidden receiving dirhams in exchange for a greater amount payable later because this harms the person in need and consumes his wealth unjustly. The same consideration applies to this arrangement. Deeds are judged only by intentions, and each person will have only what he intended. What Allah has permitted is selling and trading, where the buyer’s purpose is to trade in the goods.

But if his sole intention is to exchange dirhams for a greater number of dirhams, there is no good in this. And Allah knows best.