but the Devil is merely toying with them, making them imagine that if the money stays with them it will grow, whereas once it leaves their hands it somehow diminishes—that is, the creditor’s share would shrink. How astonishing are those whose reason has been impaired and whose religion has gone astray! Do they suppose that by procrastinating the debt will vanish or even lessen? Never. The obligation remains whether they pay it today, ten days from now, or ten years from now; only Satan is playing with them.

The Prophet’s statement, “A rich man’s procrastination is injustice,” also shows that a poor man’s procrastination is not injustice. When someone truly possesses nothing and delays payment, he is not the wrongdoer; the wrongdoer is the one who presses him. Therefore, if your debtor is poor you must grant him respite, neither demanding nor pursuing the debt, for Allah says: “But if the debtor is in hardship, then grant him respite until ease” (Qur’an 2:280). Allah has made waiting until ease obligatory.

Many people know their debtor is poor yet still pursue him aggressively, lodge complaints with the authorities, even have him jailed for the debt when he is unable to pay. This too is forbidden and an act of aggression. When a judge realizes that the debtor is poor yet the creditor insists on payment, he must rebuke and reprimand the creditor and dismiss him, for the creditor is the oppressor; Allah has commanded him to wait: “But if the debtor is in hardship, then grant him respite until ease.” It is never lawful for a creditor who knows the debtor is poor to say, “Give me my due,” or to harass him in any way.

As for the Prophet’s words, “If any of you is referred to a solvent person, let him accept the referral,” this means: Suppose someone has a claim against Zayd. Zayd says, “I am owed by ʿAmr the exact amount you are claiming”—say, Zayd owes 100 riyals and is owed by ʿAmr 100 riyals—so he tells the claimant, “I refer you to ʿAmr for the 100 riyals.” In such a case the claimant has no right to say