Surah Al-Baqarah — Verse 277

Those who have faith in Allah, follow His Messenger, do good actions, fulfil their prayers in a complete manner and give Zakat to those deserving it, they shall receive their reward from their Lord and shall not have any fear for their future nor any grief over anything they missed in the worldly life.

Allah will destroy Riba and will give increase for Sadaqat. And Allah likes not the disbelievers, sinners (276)Truly, those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and perform the Salah and give Zakah, they will have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve (277)

Allah states that He destroys Riba, either by removing this money from those who eat it, or by depriving them of the blessing, and thus the benefit of their money. Because of their Riba, Allah will torment them in this life and punish them for it on the Day of Resurrection. Allah said,

قُل لَّا يَسْتَوِي الْخَبِيثُ وَالطَّيِّبُ وَلَوْ أَعْجَبَكَ كَثْرَةُ الْخَبِيثِ

(Say: "Not equal are Al-Khabith (evil things) and At-Tayyib (good things), even though the abundance of Al-Khabith may please you")[5:100]

وَيَجْعَلَ الْخَبِيثَ بَعْضَهُ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ فَيَرْكُمَهُ جَمِيعًا فَيَجْعَلَهُ فِي جَهَنَّمَ

(And put the wicked (disbelievers and doers of evil deeds) one over another, heap them together and cast them into Hell)[8:37], and,

وَمَا آتَيْتُم مِّن رِّبًا لِّيَرْبُوَ فِي أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُو عِندَ اللَّهِ

(And that which you give in gift (to others), in order that it may increase (your wealth by expecting to get a better one in return) from other people's property, has no increase with Allah)[30:39].

Ibn Jarir said that Allah's statement,

يَمْحَقُ اللَّهُ الرِّبَا

(Allah will destroy Riba) is similar to the statement reported of 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud, "Riba will end up with less, even if it was substantial." Imam Ahmad recorded a similar statement in Al-Musnad.

Allah's statement,

وَيُرْبِي الصَّدَقَاتِ

(And will give increase for Sadaqat) means, Allah makes charity grow, or He increases it. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

مَنْ تَصَدَّقَ بِعَدْلِ تَمْرَةٍ مِنْ كَسْبٍ طَيِّبٍ، وَلَا يَقْبَلُ اللهُ إِلَّا الطَّيِّبَ، فَإِنَّ اللهَ يَتَقَبَّلُهَا بِيَمِينِهِ، ثُمَّ يُرَبِّيهَا لِصَاحِبِهِ، كَمَا يُرَبِّي أَحَدُكُمْ فَلُوَّهُ حَتَّى تَكُونَ مِثْلَ الْجَبَلِ

(Whoever gives in charity what equals a date from honest resources, and Allah only accepts that which is good and pure, then Allah accepts it with His right (Hand) and raises it for its giver, just as one of you raises his animal, until it becomes as big as a mountain.)

This was recorded in the book of Zakah.

Allah's statement,

وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ كَفَّارٍ أَثِيمٍ

(And Allah likes not the disbelievers, sinners) indicates that Allah does not like he who has a disbelieving heart, who is a sinner in tongue and action. There is a connection between the beginning of the Ayah on Riba and what Allah ended it with. Those who consume Riba are not satisfied with the permissible and pure resources that Allah provided them. Instead, they try to illegally acquire people's money by relying on evil methods. This demonstrates their lack of appreciation for the bounty that Allah provides.

Allah praised those who believe in His Lordship, obey His commands, thank Him and appreciate Him. They are those who are kind to His creation, establish prayer and give charity due on their money. Allah informed them of the honor that He has prepared for them and that they will be safe from the repercussions of the Day of Resurrection. Allah said,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ

(Truly, those who believe, and do deeds of righteousness, and perform the Salah and give Zakah, they will have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.)

The third verse (277) mentions the great reward of peace and comfort that awaits the truly believing and practising Muslims, who are steadfast in Salah نماز and زکاۃ Zakah. Since, in the verse previous to this, the punishment of Hell and the disgrace the consumers of ربا riba will be facing was mentioned, so in accordance with the general style of the noble Qur'an, the merit - in آخرۃ Akhirah - of the believing-practising Muslims, those steadfast in Salah نماز and زکاۃ Zakah, was mentioned alongside.

Man has not been sent into this world to hoard wealth. All the good things of this life are meant for the next world. Man has been sent into this world so that it may be judged whether or not he has developed those qualities that would qualify him to inherit the world of Paradise in the Hereafter. Those adjudged fit to dwell in Paradise will be separated from the unfit, and the latter will be consigned to hell. Practicing charity (sadaqah) means giving one’s wealth to the needy for the sake of God, while engaging in usury means giving one’s wealth in order to exploit others. Sadaqah is an indication of the fact that man wants to see the massive array of God’s blessings in the next world, whereas usury is indicative of the fact that he wants to amass fortunes in this world itself. The alms-giver and the usurer are two different types of individuals. It is not possible that they will both have the same fate in the Hereafter. Only those find the world who have worked hard for it; similarly, only those will find the Hereafter who have sacrificed their wealth in order to receive God’s blessings in the Hereafter.