وَاِنۡ كَانَ ذُوۡ عُسۡرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ اِلٰى مَيۡسَرَةٍ ؕ وَاَنۡ تَصَدَّقُوۡا خَيۡرٌ لَّـكُمۡ اِنۡ كُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ۔
"And if there be one in misery, then deferment till ease. And that you leave it as alms, it is far better for you, if you really know."
In today's interest-based financial system if someone takes a loan on interest and cannot repay it on time, then that interest is also added to their unpaid loan, and they have to start paying interest on earlier unpaid interest too. This way their debt keeps on escalating and in many examples we see around us it ends up in bankruptcy. Once a person declares bankruptcy it becomes even more difficult for them to get another loan. Either no one gives them a loan, or people take advantage of their situation and give them loan on very high interest rates. In this way they end up in a vicious cycle of debt which is very difficult to get out of.
On the other hand, in this verse Quran Karim is preaching that if your borrower is in financial difficulties then give them time till their financial circumstance improve, and do no not put pressure on them to return the loan immediately. Then the Quran goes even further and says that if you forego that loan it will be much better for you. This waiver of the loan has been termed Sadaqah (charity) indicating that the person will get as much thawab (reward) as he would have if they had given the same amount as Sadaqah.
To be continued...
Adapted from Ma'ariful Quran, by Mufti Muhammad Shafi Rehmatullah Elaih
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