As for the one whose heart worships the dirham and the dinar—who cares for nothing but coins, no matter how he gets them—such a man is the slave of the dirham and the dinar. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ invoked against him ruin, misery, and utter downfall.

Allah then says, “But if you repent, you may have your principal; you will neither wrong nor be wronged. And if the debtor is in hardship, then grant him respite until a time of ease.”

Yet there is an even higher station, better than merely giving the debtor time. It is found in His words: “And to remit it as charity is better for you.” If the man is truly unable to pay and you know his situation, you may say to him, “Brother, you are in straitened circumstances; I release you from this debt.” That, Allah tells you, “is better for you.” If it is indeed better, then do it.

Think for a moment: did you emerge from your mother’s womb carrying a thousand bags of gold, a thousand garments, a thousand pieces of silver, and a thousand pairs of shoes? Of course not. You came out naked, owning nothing. Who clothed you, sustained you, and enriched you? Allah. He commanded you to act in a certain way, and your response should be, “I hear and I obey.” “And to remit it as charity is better for you, if only you knew.”

The sequence of verses closes with His statement: “And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah; then every soul will be paid in full what it has earned, and they shall not be wronged.” So guard yourselves against that tremendous Day on which you will return to Allah barefoot, naked, and uncircumcised. “On the Day when a man will flee from his brother, his mother, his father, his wife, and his children—for every one of them, that Day, will have enough concern of his own.” Protect yourselves from that Day; shielding oneself from its horrors and afflictions lies in obeying Allah.

We ask Allah to grant us and you piety, righteousness, and excellence. He is capable of all things.

1614 – Abu Hurayra ﵁ narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Avoid…"