Enslavery: Riba/Interest

"[2:275]
Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity. That is because they say, "Trade is [just] like interest." But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest. So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allah . But whoever returns to [dealing in interest or usury] - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein.

[2:276]
Allah destroys interest and gives increase for charities. And Allah does not like every sinning disbeliever.

[2:277]
Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish prayer and give zakah will have their reward with their Lord, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.

[2:278]
O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers.

[2:279]
And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal - [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged." Quraan 2:275-279

الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لاَ يَقُومُونَ إِلاَّ كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُواْ إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا فَمَن جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ فَانتَهَىَ فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ

يَمْحَقُ اللَّهُ الرِّبَا وَيُرْبِي الصَّدَقَاتِ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ أَثِيمٍ

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَأَقَامُواْ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَوُاْ الزَّكَاةَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَذَرُواْ مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ فَأْذَنُواْ بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُؤُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لاَ تَظْلِمُونَ وَلاَ تُظْلَمُونَ

البقرة : ٢٧٥-٢٧٩

Isn't immensely frightening when the Almighty condemns an action forthrightly and declares a war against its doers? However, whom of us doesn't owe a mortgage or a credit card debt or a loan to a bank or a finance company?! Our lame excuse is "urgency"! 

What sort of urgency that justifies a mortgage? Certainly who can afford a mortgage can afford renting a decent property!

What sort of urgency that justifies a loan for a new car? Certainly who can afford getting a loan for a brand new car can afford buying a decent car to take him from A to B!

What sort of urgency that justifies a credit card debt for tourism travel or flashy garments or junk food, etc ...

It's not the "urgency", it's rather "the slavery" to our temptations and to the fulfillment of "our people" expectations as opposed to "our Creator" satisfaction, we are simply slaves to our temptations and people wishes! verse 2:278 truly sums it up!

Enslavery: Submission or Stupidity?

"It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by God and His Apostle to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys God and His Apostle, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path." Quraan 33:36

وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلا مُؤْمِنَةٍ إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَمْرًا أَن يَكُونَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ وَمَن يَعْصِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلالا مُّبِينًا
الأحزاب : ٣٦

As (hopefully) most of us know that Islam means submission, to submit your will to Allah, basically to unconditionally follow the instructions of Allah without arguing. For more details regarding this refer to the other posts "What does Islam mean?" and the series of "True Muslims/Submitters".

However, some Muslims can't differentiate between the instructions of Allah and the instructions of religious leaders/religion specialists (Imams, Sheikhs, etc .. ), they naively follow the latter as if it was the former! In other words, they follow those religious leaders/specialists blindly as they think it's what Islam is all about! Unconditional submission! That's wrong! Islam means unconditional submission to the instructions of Allah only which are the instructions delivered by the Prophet Mohammad and which we are certain of, all other things we are liable about if we follow and thus are subject to questioning.

"And do not follow a thing about which you have no knowledge. Surely, the ear, the eye and the heart - each one of them shall be interrogated about (on the Day of Reckoning)." Quraan 17:36

وَلاَ تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُوْلَئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْؤُولاً
الإسراء : ٣٦

For instance, the Hajj/Pilgrimage rituals many of it if not most of it doesn't seem to make sense, like circling around a cube (the Kaaba) or stoning the pillars. Yet we do perform happily because we are 100% certain that the Prophet asked us to do so which subsequently means Allah instructed us to do so. However, if a religious leader asked to vote or not to, or to support certain activity or abandon it, ... etc then we should think it over before we do it, we should question them if it's not clear enough for us that it's the right thing to do, just because the instruction came from a religious leader it doesn't render it right by default! No! Religious leaders are something and the Prophet is something else!

This is basically another form of implicit enslavery even though it may not being done systematically or intentionally, this lack of constructive criticism to our leaders and the absence of critical thinking towards things around us certainly are major factors of the Ummah backwardness.

Enslavery: "What will people say?"

Whenever we think of doing something that might be unusual, yet not wrong, or refrain from doing something that could be wrong, yet usual, we ask that question!

"What will people say?"

Why do we care about what will people say?! How come we don't ask this question!

"What will Allah say?"

I believe that's a fundamental difference between real Muslims who are Muslims by conviction and dummy Muslims who are Muslims by heredity.

What does Allah say about people?
"most of mankind give not thanks." Quran 2:243

وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَشْكُرُونَ
البقرة : ٢٤٣

"most of mankind know not." Quraan 7:187

وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ
الأعراف : ١٨٧

"most of mankind believe not." Quraan 11:17

وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ
هود : ١٧

"And though thou try much, most men will not believe." Quraan 12:103

وَمَا أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
يوسف : ١٠٣

"most of mankind refuse aught save disbelief." Quraan 17:89

فَأَبَى أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ إِلاَّ كُفُورًا
الإسراء : ٨٩

That's the people you care about what they say?! That's what Allah say about them! That's the reality of the majority of people! No wonder the world became like a jungle or probably worse! Ever heard of genocides in a jungle committed by animals?!

That's what I call enslavery by customs & traditions! To refrain yourself from doing what you think is right just because of what people might say against you!

Enslavery: I'd have called him Abdullah!

If my baby could have made it and was born then I'd have called him Abdullah (Slave of Allah), that presuming it would have been a son but unfortunately my ex-wife (wife at the time) did miscarry him.

I'd have called him Abdullah to keep him always reminded that to be a free man he would have to implement his name in real life, to be a slave of Allah means he can't be enslaved by people or things and must not enslave!

When I'd need to tell him off I'd have just rebuked him by:

I named you Abdullah to exclusively be a slave to Allah not to anyone/anything else!
سَميُتك عبدالله لتكن عبداً لله لا لغيره

That statement would have addressed all mistakes he would have done!


Ironically, the name of my ex-wife's father was Abdullah, he thought I'd name the baby Abdullah after him! I implied to him that I was not but he either didn't get it or insisted on believing the notion he had in mind! I didn't want to be blunt and hurt his feelings so I let him keeps believing it! :^)

If it would have been a daughter I don't think I'd have called her Amatullah (Slave of Allah - used for females) but certainly I'd have enlightened (not brain washed or brain fed) her to that truth.