The ruling on a man converting money in the currency of the country he is in, and his family receiving it in another currency?

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. I went to one of the banks to transfer a sum of money. I had the amount in riyals, so the employee took it and then converted it into another currency, such as the dollar. I do not receive it myself; rather, he transfers it directly, and a relative of mine in my country receives it in dollars. Is this one of the forms of riba (usury or interest)?

Answer:
This is a matter requiring consideration; because there is a separation before the receipt of the money. You handed him the money here and he handed you its equivalent and exchanged it in another country. This is a point of difficulty among the scholars. Some say this is like a loan: you lend them the money here, and they hand you its equivalent as the repayment of the loan there. This is permissible as a loan, not as a transfer. And some of the scholars say this is not permissible because there is a separation before the receipt in the contract session. It is undoubtedly a difficult matter. But if you buy the currency you want in your country, buying it from here and then transferring it to your country, you get out of the difficulty in this.