Debt, like promise, is a bond. No responsible person reneges on it without facing the wrath of law or that of God. To be indebted is to be bonded in one way or another. Such indebtedness does not necessarily arise from pecuniary loan.
In Islam, debt is not about money or material substance alone. The entire life of a Muslim is a debt which he must pay promptly or by deferment. Whoever reneges on a debt or deliberately fails to fulfil a promise is a hypocrite. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) gave a vivid description of such a person when he said that: “Hypocrites are known by three traits: when they speak they lie; when they promise they renege and when they are trusted they betray”.
The issue of indebtedness is so serious in Islam that the verse of the Qur’an which explains the law guiding it is the longest in that Sacred Book. Qur’an 2:282 states as follows:
Oh believers, when you contract a debt for a fixed period, put it in writing. Let a scribe write it down for you with fairness; let no scribe refuse to write. The person incurring the debt should dictate but if he is infirm or ignorant, let his guardian dictate in fairness. Let there be two male witnesses to the writing. But if two men cannot be found then one man and two women whom you judge fit to act as witnesses; so that if one of them forgets the other will remember. Witnesses must not refuse to give evidence if called upon to do so. So, do not fail to put your debts in writing, be they small or big, together with the date of payment. This is more just in the sight of Allah; it ensures accuracy in testifying and is the best way to remove all doubt. But if the issue in hand be a bargain concluded on the spot, it is no offence for you if you do not commit it to writing. See that witnesses are present when you sell to one another, and let no harm be done to either scribe or witness. If you harm them, you shall be committing transgression. Have fear of Allah. He teaches you (what is right); He has knowledge of all things. If you are on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then, let pledges be taken. If anyone of you entrusts another with a pledge, let the trustee restore the pledge to its owner; and let him fear Allah, his Lord. You shall not withhold testimony. He that withholds it will have a sinful heart. Allah has knowledge of all your actions”.
Material Indebtedness
Allah’s decree on material debt as contained in the above verse of the Qur’an is for Muslims to avoid arguments that may lead to rancour. There are other forms of debt not mentioned in that verse but which have far-reaching effects on Muslims. For instance a Muslim becomes indebted when he strikes a deal with a woman on marriage. As soon as the deal is sealed according to Islamic injunctions both parties become indebted to each other.
Matrimonial Indebtedness
The husband is bonded to all matrimonial responsibilities just as the wife is liable to all matrimonial duties. And that kind of indebtedness is for life barring any unforeseen circumstances. Parents are indebted to their children as soon as those children are born. They are expected to ensure that the children are given good names and relatively comfortable life by providing them with all the necessary materials to ensure their survival. Not providing such materials as shelter, clothing, feeding and protection against danger will amount to a breach of fundamental rule of indebtedness.
Thus, indebtedness may be moral, psychological, social, political, spiritual and physical. An example of a moral indebtedness is where, as a Muslim, you come across an accident spot where people are dead or maimed and you stop to give a helping hand. Once you see such a spot, it becomes a moral debt on you to help your fellow human beings bearing in mind that anybody, including you, could have been involved in such an accident. A psychological indebtedness is one in which you live in affluence or extra comfort when your immediate neighbour or your friend or mate is wallowing in abject poverty. As a true Muslim, you must share such God’s endowed pleasure with those in your neighbourhood who have nothing to live on. You must remember that without sheer opportunity you could have been one of those people. And you do not know why Allah has provided you with such comfort in the midst of those who are wretched. Whatever you possess in that circumstance is a test from Allah which a true Muslim cannot afford to fail. It is in reference to psychological indebtedness that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “Whoever passes a night with his stomach filled after dinner while his neighbour goes to bed on empty stomach is not a Muslim”. Claiming ignorance of neighbours’ plight is not tenable before Allah. The emphasis of Islam on neighbourliness is such that everyone should know and care about everyone else in the neighbourhood. That is why the institution of Zakah as a pillar of Islam was established.
Moral Indebtedness
The example of social indebtedness is one in which orphans, abandoned babies, widows as well as aged people are adequately taken care of. If any or all of these are neglected the society will eventually pay for the social nuisance they will constitute. This is where the social activities of some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) which sincerely engage in helping such people come handy. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “ Whoever amongst you sees something abhorrent, let him correct it with his hands; if he is incapable of that, let him use his tongue to correct it (by inviting other people or reporting it to concerned authorities). If he is still incapable of that, then, let him resort to good intention (by showing disapproval of it).
Parental Indebtedness
Indebtedness to parents shifts onto the children when those parents attain old age. They become like little children that need care for survival. At that point, it becomes incumbent on their children, who are now adults to take good care of their aged parents just as those parents had taken good care of them when they were incapable of caring for themselves at infancy. Allah also decrees on this by declaring as follows:
“Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and show kindness to your parents. If either or both of them attain old age with you, show them no sign of impatience, nor rebuke them; but speak with them in temperate words. Treat them with humility and tenderness, and pray for them always by saying: Oh Allah, be merciful to them as they were merciful to me when I was an infant”.
By following the letters of this supreme decree, a Muslim is simply fulfilling the rule of indebtedness. There can be no room in paradise for anybody who shuns his or her parents or treats them with disdain. The Prophet laid strong emphasis on this when he said: “Paradise lies at the feet of mothers”. This does not mean that caring for the aged parents is for mothers alone. The prophet mentioned mothers here because they are closer to children at infancy than fathers. Therefore, the care for both parents in old age is a debt which all Muslim children owe their parents and must pay if they want ‘Al- Jannah’ to be their last abode.
Job Indebtedness
An employee is indebted to his employer in terms of service as long as he earns his living in that employment. A teacher is indebted to his pupils or students once he accepts responsibility to teach those pupils. A ruler, be he a king, president or governor, is indebted to the ruled with respect to good governance, as long as he utilizes their mandate. Ditto the legislators, the civil servants who live on public revenues. And for the judges, justice is a debt which they owe those who are seeking justice in their courts. Denying them is like challenging the rule of Allah in a Court of law. On the other hand, the ruled too are indebted to an upright ruler to the effect of their allegiance so long that ruler holds fast to the rule of law and maintains justice in his governance.
Security agents are equally indebted to the citizenry whose lives and property they claim to be securing. Their duty is to ensure that such citizenry are of good conduct and law-abiding. To terrorize or ride roughshod over them as is generally known with Nigerian police is to breach the rule of Allah on indebtedness. By protecting lives and property of the citizenry, the police are not doing anybody any favour. They are merely carrying out the duty for which they are paid. And, it is only by carrying out such duty diligently that they can enjoy the cooperation of the citizenry and earn their respect. Those security agents must remember that their source of income which comes in form of salary is from the sweat of this same citizenry.
Spiritual Indebtedness
For Muslims, spiritual indebtedness starts with the declaration of ‘KALIMATU-S-SHAHADAH’ (testimony) and it extends to other fundamentals of Islam. That declaration is the foundation of faith. To renege on it is to demolish the house over one’s head. It is impossible to remove the foundation of a house without demolishing the house. And, when a Muslim stands up for Salat five times a day, what he does is to reconfirm the oath he had taken before Allah. Suratul Fatihat (the opening chapter of the Qur’an is so heavily pregnant with meanings that only a devil can turn round to disclaim its contents or deny his allegiance to Allah thereafter. The most committal verse in that chapter is the fifth verse which reads: “You alone we worship and to You alone we look up for help”. That commitment, which we repeat not less than 17 times daily, is so fundamental that to act in contradiction to it is spiritually criminal. And that is why Allah states categorically that He can forgive any sin committed by any human being except associating anything else with Him.
Also, as a Muslim you are permanently indebted when it comes to ‘SALAT’. Not only must you observe it at its ordained time, you must also observe it with full attention and complete dedication. SALAT is one of the most telling debts on Muslims. It should also be noteworthy that good deed can elicit debt. SALAT is a major debt which Allah does not overlook. Even at the point of death when a Muslim is incapable of standing on his feet he is supposed to observe SALAT even if he will do so with his mind. No good Muslim will owe SALAT and feel comfortable. You may not be queried on it by any human being but your conscience will surely not allow you a breathing space. Just as no one wants to be owed in whatever form, no one should think of owing any other person.
The consequence of betraying the rule of indebtedness is beyond human imagination. Nigeria is gradually sinking into a quagmire today because of the insensitivity of the rulers to the plight of the ruled in that regard.
Governmental Indebtedness
Ventilating the atmosphere for peace and harmony in the country is a major debt which the ruling class owe the populace. If such a debt is not paid by the ruling class the breakdown of law and order in the land as now being experienced must not be blamed on the ruled. Security is never based on guns and soldiers. Insecurity is like a huge smoke hovering furiously on top of a chimney. Anybody who wants to dispel it must quench the fire from which it oozes out. No sensible government can expect any prevalence of peace and harmony in a country which is as rich as Nigeria but where over 70% of the populace live in abject poverty while the so-called rulers continue to feed fat on their blood. If the current spate of corruption continues for some time more, the corporate existence of Nigeria as a country may be just a matter of time. Let the lotus eaters within the political class reflect on this and repent before it becomes too late. Nigerians’ docility must not be taken for granted indefinitely. Elasticity has its limit.
