Sūrat al-Baqarah
Section 27 of 59 · Surah Studies · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Consuming Wealth Unlawfully
Allah (swt) then says:
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا۟ بِهَآ إِلَى ٱلْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
“Do not eat up each other’s property by false means, nor approach with it the authorities to eat up a portion of the property of the people sinfully, while you know (that you are unjust in doing so).” (2:188)
It is not lawful to consume another's wealth by unlawful means — whether by deception; or by interest and usury, which are not permitted in Islam; or by seizing another's property, withholding a man's right, or keeping back a debt owed to him. One sees here a great body of law of both kinds at once: ʿibādāt, the laws of worship owed to Allah, and the laws governing dealings between people.