ٱلْبَقَرَة : ٢٨٣

  • وَإِن And if
  • كُنتُمۡ you are
  • عَلَىٰ on
  • سَفَرٖ a journey
  • وَلَمۡ and not
  • تَجِدُواْ you find
  • كَاتِبٗا a scribe
  • فَرِهَٰنٞ then pledge
  • مَّقۡبُوضَةٞۖ in hand
  • فَإِنۡ Then if
  • أَمِنَ entrusts
  • بَعۡضُكُم one of you
  • بَعۡضٗا (to) another
  • فَلۡيُؤَدِّ then let discharge
  • ٱلَّذِي the one who
  • ٱؤۡتُمِنَ is entrusted
  • أَمَٰنَتَهُۥ his trust
  • وَلۡيَتَّقِ And let him fear
  • ٱللَّهَ Allah
  • رَبَّهُۥۗ his Lord
  • وَلَا And (do) not
  • تَكۡتُمُواْ conceal
  • ٱلشَّهَٰدَةَۚ the evidence
  • وَمَن And whoever
  • يَكۡتُمۡهَا conceals it
  • فَإِنَّهُۥٓ then indeed he
  • ءَاثِمٞ (is) sinful
  • قَلۡبُهُۥۗ his heart
  • وَٱللَّهُ And Allah
  • بِمَا of what
  • تَعۡمَلُونَ you do
  • عَلِيمٞ (is) All-Knower
And if you are on a journey and cannot find a scribe, then a security deposit [should be] taken. And if one of you entrusts another, then let him who is entrusted discharge his trust [faithfully] and let him fear Allāh, his Lord. And do not conceal testimony, for whoever conceals it - his heart is indeed sinful, and Allāh is Knowing of what you do.
And if you are upon a journey, travelling and you contract a debt, and you do not find a writer, then a pledge (ruhun or rihaan, plural of rahn) in hand, as a guarantee for you. The Sunna clarifies the permissibility of making pledges in towns, where writers may be forthcoming; but the stipulation is made in the event of travel because in this case it is more important to have a guarantee; God's reference to it being 'in hand' (maqbooda) is a condition for the pledge given to be valid, and to satisfy the pledgee or his representative. But if one of you, the creditor, trusts another, the debtor, over the debt and does not require a pledge, let him who is trusted, the debtor, deliver his trust, the debt; and let him fear God his Lord, when delivering it. And do not conceal the testimony, if you are summoned to give it; whoever conceals it, his heart is sinful: the heart is mentioned because it is the locus of the testimony, and because if it sins, there are other sinful consequences, and so the person will be punished as though he were a sinner; and God knows what you do, nothing of which can be hidden from Him.