Q: What is meant by the person who writes down Riba (usury/interest) in the Hadith of
Jabir,
according to the narration of
Muslim,
in which Jabir said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) cursed the one who consumes (takes) Riba, the one who pays it, the one who writes it down and the two who witness it. He (peace be upon him) said, “They are all equal.”
? Does “the one who writes it down” refer to the person who records the event or does it perhaps also include anyone else who has nothing to do with the Riba-based institution, except the fact that they work as an accountant, and they perform calculations in accounts books that are not related to the Riba-based document? Would that accountant be regarded as recording Riba or does the word specifically refer to the person who writes down the document of that event and the curse is addressed to no one else? Please advise us and may Allah reward you with the best.
A:
The Hadith that curses those who write down Riba is general in meaning. It includes those who record the original document, those who copy it when the original copy becomes worn, and those who record the amount in accounts records, and the accountant who works out the rate of Riba and adds it to the original sum or sends it to the depositor, and so on. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
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