It was unfortunate to see two respected individuals, @AbdassamadClark and @harris_irfan, engage in an unnecessary online spat. Both are important voices in teaching and highlighting the evil nature of the global central banking riba fiat system to Muslims and wider society.

They both agree on several fundamental key points:

• Usury/Interest is evil 😈

• Profit and loss partnership plays a crucial role in Islamic jurisprudence.

• Islamic Banking is an oxymoron built on riba (interest).

• The Muslim Ummah should utilize and build products on sound hard money instead of fiat money.

I found Abdus Samad Clarke’s mention of Harris Irfan’s past employment at Deutsche Bank to be a bit unfair, given that Harris has been transparent about his experience and is not proud of it. He entered “Islamic” banking as a young man but eventually left, repentant after the cognitive dissonance got too much.

Harris Irfan wrote an insightful book from the perspective of an insider, detailing how the Muslim world opted to build on the foundations of riba (interest) following colonialism. The book, “Heaven’s Bankers: Inside the Hidden World of Islamic Finance,” reveals that although many Islamic financial products (mortgages for example) may be technically permissible, they often conceal riba and do not align with the spirit of Islamic guidance. I recommend everyone to check out his book.

I understand and empathize with Abdus Samad Clarke’s objection to one of Harris’ points made during his second appearance on the “Thinking Muslim Podcast” hosted by Muhammad Jalal @jalalayn. Harris suggested that young Muslims interested in building an alternative economic model based on Islamic jurisprudence should work for banks temporarily to gain necessary experience, eventually enabling them to fight against the banking system.

The purist in me wants to reject this idea outright as I desire Muslims to instinctively disdain banks, just like they would brothels and liquor stores. Banking is, after all, the institutionalization of riba (interest). Why risk contamination?

Muhammad Jalal aptly described Harris’ suggestion as “precarious” (see clip below), but Harris believes it depends on the individual’s self-discipline and ability to maintain focus on their long-term goal.

At the same time, I acknowledge that I’ve never built any financial products myself and haven’t gotten my hands dirty. I’m keen on highlighting the immense harm caused by the usurious global monetary system. I have plenty of theory for that, but I lack practical experience in building any sort of solution, so maybe Harris is right – I don’t know for certain to be honest.

I understand that Abdus Samad Clarke’s comments may have been hurtful to Harris, but I also think Harris could have responded more patiently and gracefully, especially considering Abdus Samad is elder. Inshallah, my hope is that both will reconcile and possibly engage in a public conversation so the rest of us could benefit . If such an opportunity arises, I’d personally be happy to listen to their discussion on Bitcoin, something Harris and I are pro on, but which Abdus Samad doesn’t like.

Make sure to check out both gentlemans websites:

Abdassamad Clarkes website : diwanpress.com

Harris Irfans website: ccmkts.com