Quran Garden

Session 458

Chapter 3

Verse 130

You who believe, do not consume usurious interest, doubled and redoubled.  Be mindful of God so that you may prosper. (Chapter 3:Verse 130)

I want to start this session by saying, "May God be pleased with Mount Uhud."  This may sound strange for several reasons, such as "How can God be pleased or displeased with a rock?" and "Why are we talking about Uhud while the verse under study is about usurious interest?" We will answer these questions and tie them to Aya 130. 

I heard righteous people, such as Sheikh Abdullah Al-Zaidan, who possesses great knowledge, say, "May God be pleased with Mount Uhud," whenever its name is mentioned.  The people around him were surprised and when he saw the puzzled looks on their faces, he said, "Didn't the Messenger, peace be upon him, address the mountain with the following words: 'Stand firm, Uhud, for upon you is a Prophet, a man with great faith, and two martyrs'?  Didn't he also say, 'Uhud is a mountain that loves us, and we love it?' Do you need better proof?  That is why we say, 'Uhud, may God be pleased with it.'"

We said previously that if your mind cannot grasp a religious concept, do not consider it according to your standards; instead, look at it through higher values.  For example, as scientists continue to uncover some of God's secrets in the universe, we now know that animals have their own languages.  Researchers started to decipher the language of whales and dolphins, which was unimaginable to people living just a few generations ago.  God says:

No living creature is there moving on the earth, no bird flying on its two wings, but they are communities like you.  We have neglected nothing in the Book.  Then, they will be raised from the dead and gathered to their Lord.  (6:38)

And in another chapter:

Then, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant said, "Ants! Enter your dwellings so that Solomon and his troops do not crush you unwittingly." (27:18)

Allah narrates the story of our beloved Solomon, whom He blessed with the ability to understand the language of animals.  An ant responsible for the colony's safety came out to scan her surroundings and saw Solomon's army approaching.  She returned to communicate with her fellow ants, and Prophet Solomon overheard and smiled.  God says:

Solomon succeeded David.  He said, "People, we have been taught the speech of birds, and we have been given a share of everything: this is clearly a great favor." (27:16)

Centuries later, modern science proved that ants communicate, and we are beginning to decipher their chemical signals, language, and emotions, confirming what the Quran says.  Let's take this a step deeper and consider inanimate objects.  We find the words of God about the death of Pharaoh and his clan in the following verse:

How many gardens and springs they left behind!  Cornfields, excellent dwellings, elevated, honored residences, and other comforts of life, in which they used to take delight.  Just so!  We gave these to other people to inherit.  Neither the heavens nor the earth shed a tear for them, nor were they given any time. (44:25-29)

Do the heavens and earth weep?  This is a strange matter because weeping is a purely emotional response.  In other words, God is informing us that inanimate objects not only understand but also respond with emotions.  He says:

Then He turned to heaven when it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come, willingly or unwillingly." They both said, "We come willingly." (41:11)

So, objects can understand and communicate; they also have emotions, like you and me! If a problem can cause the earth to cry, then it must also have the ability to feel the opposite: happiness.  Listen to the following two narrations highlighting the range of emotions.  Imam Ali, may God be pleased with him, said, "When a believer dies, two places weep for him: a place on earth and a place in the heavens.  The place on earth is where he used to pray because it will be deprived of the blessing of faith.  The place in the heaven is the place to which his good deeds used to rise."  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "When a believer dies, the earth rejoices!  There is not a single plot on land but wishes that he or she would be buried therein." Thus, in the future, when science discovers that inanimate objects have emotions, we can say that our Muslim scholars, who receive their knowledge from the Creator, were way ahead.  

We ask again, what does this have to do with the verses under study?  What does Uhud have to do with usurious loans?  May God be pleased with Sheikh Sayyid Qutub, author of "In the Shade of the Quran," who extracted several vital principles of faith from the subject shift in these Ayat of Al-Imran.  Let me explain:  Allah began discussing the Battle of Uhud in Aya 121 of Al-Imran, but He only gave us an introduction before leaving us in the heat of the battle to talk about seemingly unrelated issue: as money and interest.  Later God returns to complete the battle.  Uhud was lost because a few Muslims chased after the spoils of war, that is, material possession of which they were not the rightful owners.  Isn't that precisely what usury is?  Extra money which you have no right chasing!  Greed is the common thread between Uhud and usury.  

The Quran often deals with historical events to address everyday issues, and while events come and go, God Almighty wants to extract lifelong lessons.  Otherwise, it would be only storytelling devoid of benefit.  When your mind is engaged in a historical narrative, you are more receptive to learning because the emotions are fresh.  Uhud's lessons are not only about war and military discipline; they also impact our everyday dealings, such as greed and usury.  So, to those who ask, "Why did the Quran switch from the topic of a battle to usury?" we answer that they are looking at the Quran superficially, while it is a book that is meant to be studied in depth.  The Quran is not a history book that chronicles events; instead, it uses events to clarify the concepts of faith that give our lives breadth and depth.  We say, stop and examine each event in the Quran from different angles so you can understand your faith.  God says:

Will they not contemplate the Quran?  Do they have locks on their hearts?  (47:24)