RIBA SHOWS ANOTHER FACE IN DAR ES SALAAM BY TARGETING COIN SEEKERS.

I remember it was in the morning standing at the crowded bus station in one of our Tandika shops when I come across a strange business which attracted my attention. I found a gentlemen move around the conductors of daladala with a lot of coins. Initially, I thought the gentlemen tries to help may be his colleagues by providing enough coins to carry their business smoothly but that was not the case as informed by my friend. He said ' the gentlemen is selling coins to them.' In disbelief I had to gather evidence and hence I called the gentlemen and started some talks which revealed my friend was true.

In the course of my discussion I asked the gentlemen (a Muslim), if he knows what he does is earning interest since for each TZS 1000 he provide 700 i.e 30% less? He confidently says 'interest is charged by banks'! What does this tells you? Of course a number of points:

1. Riba, its meaning and types is less known.
2. Riba is confined to banks.

In this brief article, I examine what we need to do to promote awareness of Riba in its broadest connotations and manifestations in the short run and the long run. However, before I proceed me share with you why should we bother with the question of promoting awareness on Riba and call people to stand against it.

The Motives.

Two reasons or motives, one religious motive and the other economic motive.
On the religious motive, we remind one another that according to Jabir : The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, may cursed the receiver and the payer of interest, the one who records it and the two witnesses to the transaction and said: "They are all alike [in guilt]." (Muslim, Kitab al-Musaqat, Bab la'ni akili al-riba wa mu'kilihi; also in Tirmidhi and Musnad Ahmad). Another more thought provoking statements that appear to have received less attention is the prophecy in the prophetic statement; "There will certainly come a time for mankind when everyone will take riba and if he does not do so, its dust will reach him." We may debate whether such time was then or now or in future or whether by this statement it means if we stand against it or not the time will come but certainly what we can all agree is that no one can live under the shade of dust. Moreover, the Prophet said, "Avoid the seven great destructive sins." The people enquire, "O Allah's Apostle! What are they? "He said, "To join others in worship along with Allah, to practice sorcery, to kill the life which Allah has forbidden except for a just cause, (according to Islamic law), to eat up Riba (usury), to eat up an orphan's wealth, to give back to the enemy and fleeing from the battlefield at the time of fighting, and to accuse, chaste women, who never even think of anything touching chastity and are good believers. [Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Muslim] Finally, we should know that avoiding riba is a tool to succeed, Allah says "O you who have believed, do not consume usury, doubled and multiplied, but fear Allah that you may be successful.(3:130).

On the economic motive, there is a lot of uncertainty and financial problems associated with Interest. Those who have examined it such as Maurice Félix Charles Allais a French economist, and was the 1988 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics once said "The structural crisis witnessed by the world economy at present is due to the brutal liberal leadership of the economy. The current situation is on the verge of a volcano, which may erupt under the pressure of the double crisis (debts and unemployment). To get out of this crisis and regain balance again, two things should be done: reducing interest rates to near zero and revising tax rates to nearly 2%, which is completely consistent with the annihilation of riba and the Zakat rate in the Islamic economic system." Former President of Nigeria, Mr. Obasanjo once said "“All that we had borrowed up to 1985 or 1986 was around $5bln and we have paid about $16billion yet we are still being told that we owe about $28 bln. That $ 28 bln came about because of the injustice of the foreign creditors interest rates. If you ask me what is the worst thing in the world, I will say it is compound interest.”

What can we do?

Despite the recent crisis which you will expect our politician to re-examine our financial and economic approaches, it appears third world politicians are less concerned about it despite growing threat of increasing national debt caused by reckless over borrowing and interest rates. Why they don't care to take bold steps rather than crocodile cries of high interest rates to get media attention? Are they the benefactor of it? Are they unable to think beyond the box? Not fair to answer for them though to a certain extent answers are obvious.

Muslim scholars must be applauded for speaking against interest in many occasions though their voice never reach the masses because in most occasions they speak either in the Masjids or to their students or in front of limited audience. This efforts should definitely continue however we must expand this by doing the following.

1. Arrange Public Talk.

We should arrange public talk across the major towns in the country using the open space available to promote awareness about interest and its evils and the alternatives to it. This should include Muslims scholars and Christians clerics who share us with us on the prohibition of interest. Though seems daunting task, my view is this is double and effective to change the public opinion on interest and the message reach to politicians or public officials. The methodology and ways to make this effective are open to further discussions.

2. Engage politicians.

It is clear that there are politicians who abhor interest, spoke against it but feel they lack public support to aggressively campaign against it. We should show our support by way of recognizing these politicians and provide them a forum to attend the public talk and get awards for doing that. The same can be done for other. Furthermore, we may write to all MP seeking their support to pressure the government to find way to gradually free itself from interest. This though need to be done in a persuasive and convincing manner bearing in mind, our politicians are confined to think within the box.

3. Message in every public event.

Last but not least, we the 'campaigners against interest' should use every public event to condemn interest and tell people about the alternative ways to avoid it.

Hopefully with other methods we shall be able to educate the public and put the message across. I believe this campaign worthy taking and rewardful in our world affairs and the hereafter. Finally, I like to quote remarks from Prof. Hamza Njozi which has inspires me in countless of ways "It is socially and morally wrong to acquiesce to injustice. Muslims have the moral and political responsibility to expose and to fight against all forms of social injustice and discrimination even if their efforts would always end in failure. Heroic failure in fighting injustice is far better than success in entrenching an unjust order.” Riba is such one form of instruments of injustice and may Almighty assist us to stand against it.