Proofs of Prophethood
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Wise & Merciful Prohibitions: The Prophet’s ﷺ Message
Islam aims to counteract all of the evils of the world. Within the message preached by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, two major prohibitions are placed on adultery and the charging of financial interest. The Qur'an contains clear instructions of, "Do not come anywhere near fornication," and "Do not devour usury." Sh. Mohammad Elshinway details these unique commands and explains how they lead not to restriction, but to liberation.
The Proofs for the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ eBook is available now. Download your copy here.
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. We've all heard the allegation that religion is so restrictive, always curtailing people's freedoms, always getting in the way of their happiness, right? This episode will illustrate how the true message of God brought to the world by the Prophet Muhammad, salallahu alayhi wasalam, actually liberates the world and benefits them through its prohibitions in particular. So let's consider a few of the major prohibitions in Islam, those that can be more easily appreciated by people in our time, and those which directly point to the fact that this message seems to be one of unique wisdom and from a God of great compassion. The first will be the prohibition of extramarital relations in Islam. The Qur'an not only forbids us from fornication and adultery, but also outlines for us an entire code of conduct that will prevent the slippery slope that will inevitably lead to them, such as lowering the gaze, and a strict hands-off policy between unmarried people who are not immediate relatives. Civilizations that do not respect such important measures often spiral downwards to points of no return. And this is easily visible all around us today, something that should offer us a chance for pause and newfound appreciation for the Qur'an saying, and do not come anywhere near fornication, God says. Meaning it is not enough to stay away from it, you must preemptively prevent the pathways and inlets to it. And then God continued to say, it is a grave immorality and such an evil path, meaning once the slippage begins it will not even end there at fornication. People's discretion
gets compromised and so extramarital relations materialize all around them, and then indecency and shamelessness as a result become normalized, and eventually people begin to reduce their entire identity and existence to their sexual preferences and orientations. The second is the strict prohibition of interest-bearing loans in Islam. Nowadays we can observe first-hand how interest-based systems have devoured nations beyond repair, with the devastation in Nigeria and Jamaica in recent times being just two tragic examples of this. The villainous nature of dispensing loans for interest is clear. It appears at first glance to be an avenue for quick funds, but it often winds up burying people further and further in debt. It also disparages productivity and labor, as Aristotle once argued, because money is what begets money here, not skill or effort or craftsmanship. As a result, the rich get richer and the poor steadily get poorer, which then becomes a catalyst for financial meltdowns and uprisings by the underclass. And these have historically destroyed nations and civilizations, as Plato once warned. The prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, deemed interest-bearing transactions cursed dealings, and said that making a profit is only allowed for those willing to risk loss. And so in Islam, the bulk of the risk being on the debtor, with little to no risk on the creditor, is strictly forbidden. The prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, also prohibited the borrowers from such loans. This prevents borrowers from living beyond their means, which would in turn allow for opportunities for these lenders to exploit them. And this is in
addition to the great overall ecological damage that happens at the hands of unhinged consumerism. For this very reason, a global trend is emerging in Europe and elsewhere that considers the Islamic regulations to finance a refreshing alternative for economic woes. And another way that Islam remedies wealth concentration is through the zakat system. Zakat is another one of Islam's five foundational pillars. An obligatory charity due on your holdings of significant amounts of capital, whereby 2.5% of that needs to be redistributed annually to the poor primarily, but also to other noble causes. These are but two of many wise and compassionate means to equilibrium for people's societies and their well-being that we find in the message of the final prophet Muhammad.
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