Press Release
The Government’s Parliament Commits a Sin Openly and Declares War on Allah and His Messenger by Approving Interest-Based Loan in the Month of Good Deeds and Blessings
(Translated)

The Parliament approved yesterday amid objections of some MP’s an interest- based loan to finance Al-Roseris project (Phase I) from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, worth 60 million Kuwaiti dinars, and as usual, the argument is the need that elevates to becoming a necessity.

The government has become accustomed through its Parliament, to eat the forbidden riba (interest) confirmed by definite text and definite meaning thus declaring war on Allah and His Messenger (saw):

( يا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ * فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَإِنْ تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَالِكُمْ لا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلا تُظْلَمُونَ )

“O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers * And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged.” [Al-Baqara: 278-279]

This time this great sin and the great evil is committed in the month of Ramadan; the month of repentance and return to Allah, and striving to please Allah, but neither they repent, nor will they remember, their actions are evil.

The argument which MPs bring is a flimsy one, but is weaker than a spider's web, but we question this, despite our conviction, and the conviction of every Muslim faithful to his Deen, that there is no exception in usury, and that the need and the necessity argument does not include usury, otherwise Allah (swt) would have mentioned it. He (swt) allowed necessity as a reason for eating and drinking, when He permitted the compelled to eat forbidden food to avoid death. In this case, Allah (swt) allowed the forced person to eat a dead animal (not lawfully slaughtered). Allah (swt) said,

(مَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ)

“But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful” [Al-Ma’ida: 3]

Our question to the government and its parliament is, what did Sudan benefit from all the interest-based loans that were permitted in the name of need and necessity, the argument of the weak who is crumbling in sin?! Did not these interest-based loans that caused our miserable lives, and distanced us from Ar Razzaq of mighty strength?

The reality for the people of Sudan today is a terrible decline in the economy, which led to prices increase, miserable existence, and other problems in this stricken country, which is an inevitable consequence of the fight against Allah and His Messenger (saw). The regime did not stop at eating people's wealth unlawfully; from Customs and forbidden taxes; now it is insisting on fighting Allah and His Messenger (saw), and allows interest-based loans all the time, until the country plunged into debt, which is nearing to fifty billion dollars.

O our people in Sudan, especially the sincere scholars: your silence over this great evil makes you partners in sin, the one who keeps silent over the truth is a dumb devil: on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (saw) said:

«مَنْ كَتَمَ عِلْمًا يَعْلَمُهُ جَاءَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مُلَجَّمًا بِلِجَامٍ مِنْ نَارٍ»

"Whoever hides knowledge, Allah will brand him with the branding iron from the hellfire."

We in Hizb ut Tahrir Wilayah Sudan denounce this heinous evil, and we are innocent in front of Allah from this act, and we invite you in this glorious month, to forbid the evil and enjoin the good. On top of evils comes the rule by other than what Allah has revealed, the producer of sins and evil, and on top of the good is the resumption of the Islamic way of life, by the establishment of the righteous Khilafah "Caliphate" (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood.

Ibrahim Othman (Abu Khalil)
Official Spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Wilayah Sudan