Debt doesn’t leave with your body—it follows you into the Barzakh. The soul remains suspended until its dues are settled, held back from its final destination. If unpaid debts weigh so heavily, what about the burden of riba (interest)? The Prophet ﷺ saw its punishment—people drowning in a river of blood, never reaching the shore. Meanwhile, charity multiplies your wealth in this life and builds your home in the next.
Will you be held back by debt, or propelled forward by your sadaqah?
NOTE: All depictions of Barzakh are purely conceptual and only vocals were used in the making of the soundtrack.
Download discussion guides for “The Other Side”: https://yqn.io/2e7585
Captioning provided by Muhsen.
References:
- The Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily, one of the worst forms of riba is to violate the honor of a Muslim unjustly.” [Sunan Abi Dawud #4876]
- Muhammad ibn Jahsh (ra) said: “We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he raised his head towards the sky, then he put his palm on his forehead and said: “SubhanAllah! A serious issue has been revealed to me!” We remained silent and were afraid. The following morning I asked him, “O Messenger of Allah, what is this serious issue that has been revealed?” He said, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if a man were killed in battle for the sake of Allah, then brought back to life, then killed and brought back to life again, then killed, and he owed a debt, he would not enter Paradise until his debt was paid off.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i #4684]
- Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ refrained from offering the funeral prayer for one who had died owing two dinars, until Abu Qatadah (ra) promised to pay it off for him. So the Prophet ﷺ led the funeral prayer. The next day, the Prophet ﷺ asked, “What happened with the two dinars?” Abu Qatadah replied, “O Messenger of Allah, he only died yesterday.” The following day, the Prophet ﷺ asked again, and Abu Qatadah responded, “I have paid them off.” Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Now his skin has become cool for him.” [Musnad Ahmad]
- Aishah (ra) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ used to say in his prayer: “O Allah, I seek refuge with You from sin and debt.” Someone said, “O Allah’s Messenger, how often it is that you seek refuge from debt!” He replied, “When a person is in debt, he ends up telling lies and breaking promises.” [Sahih al-Bukhari #2397; Sahih Muslim #589]
- The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There was a man who used to lend money to people. He would say to his servant, ‘If you come across someone in difficulty, be lenient with them—perhaps Allah will be lenient with us.’ So he met Allah, and Allah forgave him.” [Sahih al-Bukhari #3293; Sahih Muslim #1562]
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Last night two persons came to me (in a dream), woke me up, and said to me, ‘Proceed!’ … So we set out until we came upon a river that was red like blood. In the river, there was a man swimming, and on the riverbank stood another man who had gathered a large pile of stones. Each time the swimmer moved through the water, he would come to the man on the bank, who would force a stone into his mouth. The swimmer would then continue on, only to return, whereupon the man would again open his mouth and force another stone into it. I asked, ‘Who are these two?’ … [They replied,] The one you saw swimming in the river and given a stone to swallow is the one who used to consume interest (riba).’” [Sahih al-Bukhari #7047]
- The Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily, one of the worst forms of riba is to violate the honor of a Muslim unjustly.” [Sunan Abi Dawud #4876]
- Muhammad ibn Jahsh (ra) said: “We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he raised his head towards the sky, then he put his palm on his forehead and said: “SubhanAllah! A serious issue has been revealed to me!” We remained silent and were afraid. The following morning I asked him, “O Messenger of Allah, what is this serious issue that has been revealed?” He said, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if a man were killed in battle for the sake of Allah, then brought back to life, then killed and brought back to life again, then killed, and he owed a debt, he would not enter Paradise until his debt was paid off.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i #4684]
- Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ refrained from offering the funeral prayer for one who had died owing two dinars, until Abu Qatadah (ra) promised to pay it off for him. So the Prophet ﷺ led the funeral prayer. The next day, the Prophet ﷺ asked, “What happened with the two dinars?” Abu Qatadah replied, “O Messenger of Allah, he only died yesterday.” The following day, the Prophet ﷺ asked again, and Abu Qatadah responded, “I have paid them off.” Upon hearing this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Now his skin has become cool for him.” [Musnad Ahmad]
- Aishah (ra) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ used to say in his prayer: “O Allah, I seek refuge with You from sin and debt.” Someone said, “O Allah’s Messenger, how often it is that you seek refuge from debt!” He replied, “When a person is in debt, he ends up telling lies and breaking promises.” [Sahih al-Bukhari #2397; Sahih Muslim #589]
- The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There was a man who used to lend money to people. He would say to his servant, ‘If you come across someone in difficulty, be lenient with them—perhaps Allah will be lenient with us.’ So he met Allah, and Allah forgave him.” [Sahih al-Bukhari #3293; Sahih Muslim #1562]
- The Prophet ﷺ said: “Last night two persons came to me (in a dream), woke me up, and said to me, ‘Proceed!’ … So we set out until we came upon a river that was red like blood. In the river, there was a man swimming, and on the riverbank stood another man who had gathered a large pile of stones. Each time the swimmer moved through the water, he would come to the man on the bank, who would force a stone into his mouth. The swimmer would then continue on, only to return, whereupon the man would again open his mouth and force another stone into it. I asked, ‘Who are these two?’ … [They replied,] The one you saw swimming in the river and given a stone to swallow is the one who used to consume interest (riba).’” [Sahih al-Bukhari #7047]
