The Quran

وَما آتَيتُم مِن رِبًا لِيَربُوَ في أَموالِ النّاسِ فَلا يَربو عِندَ اللَّهِ ۖ وَما آتَيتُم مِن زَكاةٍ تُريدونَ وَجهَ اللَّهِ فَأُولٰئِكَ هُمُ المُضعِفونَ

Ali Unal

Whatever you give to people in usurious hope that it may return to you increased through the goods of (other) people, will bring no increase in God’s sight. Whereas whatever you give in charity seeking God’s “Face” (His approval and good pleasure), for those there is increase (of recompense) multiplied.¹

Islam never aims to favor hypocrisy or hypocrites. So before establishing a law, first it trains and prepares hearts and minds in its favor or against it. This is why the Prophet’s Companions could easily accept any commandment when it was revealed. To this end, Islam followed a gradual way in establishing its legal code. In Makkah, it prepared hearts and minds for its future injunctions. For example, in 17: 22–39, it propounded many rules only as moral values; many of these would later become laws in Madīnah. It also followed a gradual way in prohibiting such established vices as drinking alcohol and transactions involving interest. This verse is the first to be revealed on the way to the decisive prohibition of transactions involving interest, with the aim of encouraging Muslims to avoid it. Some people would give gifts or similar things to others, particularly the merchants and money-lenders; this was not done with a pure intention, but with the hope or aim that it might come back to them, increased in value. That is, those who took these “gifts” would use them in their trade for profitable transactions, and return the “gifts” with the extra amount or value to the original owner.