Quote:
Originally Posted by snakelegs  cool! i think it's an important subject. IF it was true that the prohibition is usury and not interest, it could mean that things like buying a house, a car, having a credit card would be ok.
but i've never seen this distinction made before. |
From previous link...
The commentary # 35 to verse 30: 39, by Scholar Mohammad Asad:
Mohammad Asad writes; In the words of Ibn Kathir (in his commentary on 2: 275), "the subject of riba is one of the most difficult subjects for many of scholars (ahl al-'ilm)". It should be borne in mind that the passage condemning or prohibiting riba in legal terms [{2: 275-281}] was the last revelation received by the Prophet, who died a few days later [cf. note [268] on 2: 281; hence the Companions had no opportunity to ask him about the Shar'i implications of the relevant injection - so much so that even 'Umar ibn al-Khattab is reliably reported to have said: "The last [of Qur'an] that was revealed was the passage [lit., "the verse"] on riba; and, behold, the Apostle of God passed away without [lit., "before"] having explained its meaning to us" [Ibn Hambal, on the authority of Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab].
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The recorded comments also inform us that although the subject of Riba is "one of the most difficult subjects", there is a "room for difference of opinion". Due to the absence of the specific directives on the subject from the Prophet (peace be upon him), to the Companions and the non existence of the conclusive concurrence over a long period, there have been varying interpretations and definitions provided by scholars for the Qur'anic term Riba.