3 minutes read
One of the calamities of modern business is the normalization of credit cards among Muslims. Before long, a Muslim founder finds himself signing an agreement that contains an explicit stipulation of riba, hoping he will never have to face its consequences.
It often begins with simple justifications.
- Everyone uses them.
- My business requires it.
- I can't rent a car without one.
- I read this fatwa that permits it.
While many contemporary scholars have discussed this issue, most agree that conventional credit cards contain a contractual stipulation involving riba. The Prophet ﷺ warned:
"Allah has cursed the one who consumes usury, its client, its witness, and its recorder..." (Musnad Ahmed)
Muslim Founder Brief
A daily briefing on Muslim ownership, responsibility, and disciplined building.
Have we settled for minimum compliance?
But perhaps we should ask a deeper question. Is this really the highest standard a Muslim founder can aspire to? Have we reached a point where our ambition is simply to remain as close to riba as possible without falling into it?
Imagine driving a vehicle along a mountain road where one side ends in a cliff. Throughout the entire journey, you keep your tires inches away from the edge. Someone asks whether this is wise. You respond: "Don't worry. I guarantee I will not fall."
Can you really guarantee that your income will not suddenly stop? Can you guarantee that you will not lose your existing wealth?
We cannot guarantee the future
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
"No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware." (Surah Luqman 31:34)
A founder who says, "I will always pay it off before interest is charged," is making assumptions about a future that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has concealed from him.
Many Muslim entrepreneurs have accepted the false idea that compromise is necessary for success. But true tawakkul is believing that rizq comes from Allah سبحانه وتعالى, barakah comes through obedience, and nothing abandoned for His sake is ever a loss.
Closing thoughts
The path to success is not through disobeying Allah سبحانه وتعالى. It is through obeying Him even when the world insists otherwise.
The entrepreneurs who build institutions and leave legacies are not the ones who cut corners. They are the ones who built on a foundation of obedience, accepted temporary limitation, and trusted that Allah سبحانه وتعالى rewards those who fear Him.
What would change in the Muslim economy if founders optimized for distance from haram rather than proximity to it?
Muslim Founder Brief
A daily briefing on Muslim ownership, responsibility, and disciplined building.
Muslim Founder Brief
A daily briefing on Muslim ownership, responsibility, and disciplined building.
Muslim Founder Brief
A daily briefing on Muslim ownership, responsibility, and disciplined building.
