War from Allah and His Messenger

Here begins the second quarter of the chapter. Among the aḥkām and rulings given, Allah (swt) now takes the whole matter of ribā severely to task. He would abolish it altogether.

For in Makkah Mukarramah, when Islam began, and before Islam, ribā was rife, usury was rife. They practised compound interest: if a man could not pay within the year, the entire sum, interest included, became the capital, and interest was charged upon that; and then in the third year, if it continued, that whole amount, interest included, became capital again, and interest upon that. Which is extremely oppressive.

So Allah (swt) says:

Allah (swt) will obliterate and bring to nothing whatever has ribā in it. Many have had this experience: having dealt in ribā a long while, they have come to suffer for it at the last. And those who did not, but gave ṣadaqah instead — consider the example of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf (may Allah be pleased with him) and the manner in which he built his business: simply by spending in the path of Allah. He would spend, and would gain a great deal more. He says that one may give a ten in the morning and make a thousand by the night. It requires some tawakkul. But it may be said from experience that this is entirely true. It is a word of the Qur'an, and it is borne out by experience besides.

What Allah (swt) does here is to give, unlike anything else, one of the severest warnings He gives — perhaps in the whole Qur'an, so far as this world is concerned. There is much discussion of the punishments of the Hereafter; but in the matter of punishment in this world, or of declaration in this world, one of the most severe warnings is given against those who consume interest. It is there that Allah (swt) says fa-in lam tafʿalū — if you do not give up your ribā:

Hear the announcement. Hear the announcement of a war from Allah and His Messenger. So severe a warning concerning this world is very rare; one seldom finds warnings of this kind. And it is given here.