JULY 22

Bowing Before

the Commandments of God

There was a family of the Thaqif tribe of Ta‘if, named Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Umayr, and another from Banu Makhzum, named Banu Mughirah who, during the Period of Ignorance, (that is, before Islam) used to conduct usurious transactions amongst themselves. After the conquest of Makkah, both families accepted Islam. But at that time, the Banu Mughirah still owed a certain amount of money to the Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Umayr, who demanded repayment of the debt. The Banu Mughirah conferred amongst themselves and decided that they would pay no interest (on any loans made to them) from the earnings they made after their acceptance of Islam. This naturally caused much dissension. Attab ibn Usayd as a representative of the Prophet in the area, informed the latter of the situation. In reply, the Prophet recited this verse of the Quran: “Believers, have fear of God and waive what is still due to you from usury, if your faith be true; or war shall be declared against you by God and His apostle” (2:278-279). The attitude of the Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Umayr immediately changed when they heard this verse and they said, “We turn to God and waive the interest still due.” (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir)