The ruling on the amount a bank places when opening an account and the interest on deposits
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. I have three questions. The first question: there are some banks abroad. Yes. Some banks abroad.
The Shaykh:
Yes.
The questioner:
When you open an account with them, they put a small part of a small amount in the account, meaning as a type of encouragement. What is the ruling on this amount?
The Shaykh:
A type of what?
The questioner:
A small amount from the account. A small amount from the account. In the account, meaning a small amount in your account. What is the ruling on this amount?
The Shaykh:
That you deposit an amount with them.
The questioner:
No, the bank itself, when you open an account with them, they put an amount as a type of encouragement.
The Shaykh:
Abu
The questioner:
Before.
The Shaykh:
An amount from them for you.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
Meaning a gift to you.
The questioner:
Yes.
Another questioner:
As a type of encouragement, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
As a type of encouragement, no, do not deal with these people, because these are usurers who work with riba (usury or interest). But if you have money and you fear for it from theft or from the hardship of carrying it, there is no harm in you depositing it with them for safekeeping, and you withdraw from it, you withdraw from it, you deposit it with them for safekeeping, you withdraw from it when in need, without taking anything from them.
Because they do not give you anything except that they take from you more than what they are giving you. They give you this thing for free to lure you into trusting them, to encourage you to deal with them, and they want you for their benefit. And for a future purpose, so do not accept this thing from them. Rather, deposit what you have with them for safekeeping only, and withdraw from it according to your need until it is finished. And other than this, do not enter into anything with them. Yes.
Another questioner:
Okay, O Shaykh, to complete the question, O Shaykh Salih, meaning sometimes they pay this man interest or, meaning, riba money on the money in the bank. Is it permissible to take this money and give it in charity or donate it, or what does a person do?
The Shaykh:
I said, take your principal, the amount of your principal that you paid, withdraw from it until it is finished, and do not take extra or interest. This is riba. Yes, do not take the riba.[Ali 'Imran 3:130] Do not eat the riba and do not take it. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) Sunan Ibn Majah 2277Hasan (Darussalam). Do not accept riba interest or riba increase from them. Take only your principal that you deposited, and do not say, “I will give it in charity.” This is not charity. The forbidden is not given in charity, and it is a loss. Yes.
Honorable Shaykh, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. I have three questions. The first question: there are some banks abroad. Yes. Some banks abroad.
The Shaykh:
Yes.
The questioner:
When you open an account with them, they put a small part of a small amount in the account, meaning as a type of encouragement. What is the ruling on this amount?
The Shaykh:
A type of what?
The questioner:
A small amount from the account. A small amount from the account. In the account, meaning a small amount in your account. What is the ruling on this amount?
The Shaykh:
That you deposit an amount with them.
The questioner:
No, the bank itself, when you open an account with them, they put an amount as a type of encouragement.
The Shaykh:
Abu
The questioner:
Before.
The Shaykh:
An amount from them for you.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
Meaning a gift to you.
The questioner:
Yes.
Another questioner:
As a type of encouragement, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh:
As a type of encouragement, no, do not deal with these people, because these are usurers who work with riba (usury or interest). But if you have money and you fear for it from theft or from the hardship of carrying it, there is no harm in you depositing it with them for safekeeping, and you withdraw from it, you withdraw from it, you deposit it with them for safekeeping, you withdraw from it when in need, without taking anything from them.
Because they do not give you anything except that they take from you more than what they are giving you. They give you this thing for free to lure you into trusting them, to encourage you to deal with them, and they want you for their benefit. And for a future purpose, so do not accept this thing from them. Rather, deposit what you have with them for safekeeping only, and withdraw from it according to your need until it is finished. And other than this, do not enter into anything with them. Yes.
Another questioner:
Okay, O Shaykh, to complete the question, O Shaykh Salih, meaning sometimes they pay this man interest or, meaning, riba money on the money in the bank. Is it permissible to take this money and give it in charity or donate it, or what does a person do?
The Shaykh:
I said, take your principal, the amount of your principal that you paid, withdraw from it until it is finished, and do not take extra or interest. This is riba. Yes, do not take the riba.
O you who have believed, do not consume usury, doubled and multiplied
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا الرِّبَا أَضْعَافًا مُّضَاعَفَةًthe Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) cursed the one who consumes usury, the one who pays it, those who witness it and the one who writes it down.
لعن آكل الربا وموكله وشاهديه وكاتبه
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-37-قضايا فقهية - 01|صالح الفوزان|العام|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (26:24)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.