“Ribā has more than seventy forms. The least serious form of ribā is like a man having intercourse with his mother in Islam; and a single dirham of ribā is worse than thirty-five acts of fornication. The gravest form of ribā—or the greatest, or the foulest—is violating a Muslim’s honor, or violating his inviolability.” Ibn Abi Hatim cited it (1/391/1170) through Muhammad ibn Rafi‘ al-Naysaburi, from Ibrahim ibn ‘Umar al-San‘ani, from al-Nu‘man ibn al-Zubayr, from Tawus, from Ibn ‘Abbas. He said: “Abu Zur‘ah was asked about it and replied: ‘This is a rejected hadith.’”

I say: All its narrators are well-known and trustworthy, except Ibrahim ibn ‘Umar al-San‘ani, Abu Ishaq al-San‘ani, whom al-Hafiz described as a narrator of unknown standing. The hadith also has a second supporting narration from Ibn Mas‘ud, recorded in al-Targhib (3/50). In sum, the hadith is authentic and established through its combined chains.

I then found a third supporting narration from Wahb ibn al-Aswad, the Messenger of Allah’s maternal uncle. He said: I entered upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he said to me: “Shall I not tell you something about ribā?” I said: “Certainly, Messenger of Allah.” He said: “Ribā has seventy forms; the least vile of them is like a man lying with his mother.”

Ibn Mandah recorded it in al-Ma‘rifah (2/207/1) through Muhammad ibn Abi ‘Attab al-A‘yun, who said: ‘Amr ibn Abi Salamah related to me from al-Haytham ibn Humayd, from Abu Ma‘bad Hafs ibn Ghaylan, from Zayd ibn Aslam, from him.

I say: This is a chain all of whose narrators are trustworthy, so it appears to be authentic. However, I found that al-Hafiz, in al-Isabah (1/45), mentioned it from Ibn Mandah’s narration, through Muhammad ibn al-‘Abbas ibn Khalaf, from ‘Amr ibn Abi Salamah, from Sadaqah al-Samin, from Abu Ma‘bad, with this chain; except that he said: “from Zayd ibn