What is the ruling on taking a riba (usury or interest) loan to pay off debts that the debtors cannot afford to defer?
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Question:
The questioner says: A man has a debt of approximately sixty thousand riyals, and people are pressuring him for their money, but he is unable to produce that amount. Is it permissible for him to borrow from the bank?
Answer:
No, it is not permissible to borrow with riba. If he finds someone to lend him a good loan, praise be to Allah. If he is able to earn a living and work to pay off his debt, he should earn and work. It is obligatory to grant a respite to the one in financial difficulty. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:280] The one in financial difficulty must be granted a respite, and it is not permissible to pressure him. Yes.
The questioner says: A man has a debt of approximately sixty thousand riyals, and people are pressuring him for their money, but he is unable to produce that amount. Is it permissible for him to borrow from the bank?
Answer:
No, it is not permissible to borrow with riba. If he finds someone to lend him a good loan, praise be to Allah. If he is able to earn a living and work to pay off his debt, he should earn and work. It is obligatory to grant a respite to the one in financial difficulty. Allah the Exalted said:
And if someone is in hardship, then [let there be] postponement until [a time of] ease. But if you give [from your right as] charity, then it is better for you
وَإِن كَانَ ذُو عُسْرَةٍ فَنَظِرَةٌ إِلَىٰ مَيْسَرَةٍ وَأَن تَصَدَّقُوا خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم أخذ قرض ربوي لسداد ديون لا يحتمل أصحابها التأجيل؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.