Providing a Loan

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘There is a writing on the door of Paradise that says: ‘Charity for ten “rewards” and loan for eighteen “rewards.”’ In another Hadith it is said, ‘Loan for fifteen “rewards.””

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘For every believing person who provides a loan for another believing person, for the sake of Allah, Allah counts its reward as that of giving charity until the time the loan is paid back.’”

“This is about the words of Allah, ‘There is not much good in many of their secret talks except that which commands to give charity or Benevolent Assistance.’ (4:114) Abu ‘Abd Allah, has said, “Benevolent Assistance is a reference to providing loans for needy people.’””

“I went to visit abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.). Two other people, al-Mu‘alla’ and ‘Uthman ibn ‘Umar, also were present with me. On seeing us, he welcomed us and offered greetings of peace, saying, ‘I welcome the faces that love us and we love them. May Allah keep you with us in this world and in the next life.’ Uthman then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause.’ The Imam acknowledged his expression and asked, ‘What can I do for you?’ Uthman then said, ‘I am an affluent man.’ The Imam said, ‘May Allah make your wealth a blessing for you.’ He then said, ‘A man comes to me for (financial) help. Such time is not the time for me to pay zakat.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘Providing a loan, before us, has eighteen rewards, and for charity it is ten rewards. You have no difficulty, being an affluent man as you just said. You can provide him help and when the time for paying zakat comes, count it as your zakat paid to him. O ‘Uthman, do not turn him away empty-handed; it is a great and serious matter in the sight of Allah. O ‘Uthman, if you had known how important a believer is in the sight of Allah, you would not hesitate to respond positively to his appeal. Whoever provides happiness for a believing person has done so for the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause. Providing help for a believing person repels illnesses like insanity, leprosy and albino (leprosy).”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that providing a loan for a believing person is an (important) gain and a good deed if done quickly. If he becomes financially capable, he repays, but if he dies, the provider of loan can count it as payment for zakat.”