The huge debt that currently burdens many people has arisen from loans that have charged interest and have not shared risk between the lender and the borrower and have, therefore, contravened the two most fundamental principles of Islamic finance. The core belief in Islamic finance is that money should not in itself be an earning asset; therefore Islam prohibits any and all forms of interest. There are several passages in the Qur’an which clearly condemn the practice of interest (referred to in Arabic as riba): “Those who devour interest will not stand except as he stands who has been driven to madness by the touch of Satan … Allah has permitted trade and forbidden interest … Allah will deprive interest of all blessing” (2:275-6) “O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and give up what remains of your demand for interest, if you are indeed believers. If you do not, take notice of war from Allah and his Messenger. But if ye turn back, ye shall have your capital sums: deal not unjustly and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly” (2:278-279) Christian and Jewish theologies also maintained traditions against usury. In the Old Testament, for example, it says: “If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down” Exodus (22: 25-26).