Which is worse: fornication, drinking alcohol, or usury?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The gravest sins are usury, then adultery, then drinking alcohol.
The one who consumes usury has been warned by Allah of war, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, cursed him. A single dirham of usury is worse than thirty-six acts of adultery.
Adultery has never been permissible. Its punishment in this world is greater than that for alcohol, and its harms are more severe.
Alcohol was initially permissible, and its prescribed punishment (ḥadd) is less, and its harms are less than those of adultery, even though it is considered the mother of all evils.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/135618
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 135618
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy