Accordingly, the worker is entitled to a share of the yield that matches the amount of stipulated work he actually performs. Since a period has passed in which he did not carry out the agreed-upon tasks and did not water those date-palms, he is not entitled to any of their produce, for he has failed to fulfil the condition of watering them. Muslims are bound by their conditions; therefore, it is unlawful for him to take anything of the yield unless he is in fact watering the trees and adhering to the terms of the contract to which he and the owner consented. If he waters some of the palms and neglects others, he is entitled only to the proportion corresponding to the work he has completed. And Allah knows best.

Usury (ribā)

Question: I borrowed one hundred pounds from a friend on condition that after one year I would repay one hundred and fifty. When the repayment date arrived, I tried to give him only one hundred, but he insisted on taking an additional fifty pounds in return for the postponement. What is the ruling on this extra amount? If this is a form of ribā (prohibited interest), am I sinful? How can I free myself of the sin? The money I borrowed has now been mixed with my own wealth—what must I do?

Answer: Allah has forbidden ribā (usury) and has threatened those who engage in it with severe punishment. The Exalted says: “Those who consume usury will not stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except like the standing of one whom Satan has driven to madness by his touch” (Qur’an 2:275), and He also says: “O you who believe! Fear Allah and give up what remains due to you of usury, if you are truly believers. But if you do not, then be informed of a war from Allah and His Messenger” (Qur’an 2:278–279). Ribā comes in various forms, and one of them is precisely what you have described: a loan that carries interest, for the legitimate loan in Islamic law