The Ruling on a Military Bonus That Contains Riba
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Al-Albani, my lord, may I ask you a question if you please? I have completed my military service, which was naturally five years, and according to the pattern, a bonus is paid out to me. Hello, hello.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The questioner : So a bonus is paid out to me from this army, and this bonus includes the army's interest. How is the interest calculated? It is deducted from my salary every month for the five years, for example, three dinars, and they work it with interest. So when I am discharged, they give it to me all at once. I am now asking for a fatwa: how do I extract it? How do I set the riba aside?
The Shaykh : You must do the thing you are speaking of. You must remove this riba. And I am warning you: do not call riba "interest," because it is not interest.
The questioner : It is not interest, of course.
The Shaykh : Because it is forbidden, whereas you and people, all people, call riba "interest."
The questioner : A common error.
The Shaykh : A common error, so beware, and beware again, of falling into it.
The questioner : Raa'id.
The Shaykh : Of falling into it again.
The questioner : Once, yes.
The Shaykh : As long as you, and praise be to Allah, are keen to adhere to the Shari'ah; had it not been for that, you would not have asked this question.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh : So this money, which is riba, it is not permissible for you to benefit from it, nor to benefit anyone else with it. Rather, you must extract it and spend it in what is called by the jurists "public facilities," meaning something in which the general public benefits.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Clear.
The questioner : Clear, but okay, I don't know what the amount is?
The Shaykh : Do you know? I understood now how you don't know?
The questioner : By Allah, I didn't know.
The Shaykh : I will tell you. How many years did you serve? How many dinars did they deduct from you?
The questioner : I don't know, why? Because there are several deductions. For example, there is money that is not deducted, for example, in the housing fund, one dinar is deducted per month, and there is no interest on that at all.
The Shaykh : What do I do now? Do you have a connection with the housing fund?
The questioner : Yes, there is the savings fund game, the housing fund, and the retirement benefits, which are the ones that have it, meaning you have a lot of it. Why? Because the retirement benefits deduct forty qirsh during the training phase and three pounds during the actual service phase. So I don't know how, meaning, I tried to ask the same accountant who will calculate it for me, and he says, "By Allah, I don't know how to calculate it for you. This interest, why? Because it changes every month from the previous month. I do not know. That is why I am keen to extract it, but I want to know how to determine the amount?"
The Shaykh : By Allah, I will not be smarter than you, nor am I more eager than you to stay away from what Allah has forbidden. But the thing I can tell you is that you must make your own effort (ijtihad) to know what is halal and what is haram of your money. You must make an effort, meaning,
The questioner : I will make an effort.
The Shaykh : So that you know the riba. And you deal with it as I mentioned to you. Then, yes, if you cannot determine the exact figure, you should be cautious for the sake of your hereafter, even if there is no worldly benefit in it, because as Allah the Exalted said:[Ad-Duhaa 93:4]
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : May Allah keep you safe.
The questioner : Okay, may Allah bless you. I mean, I am making my effort.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : With a sincere intention for Allah that I calculate this amount, and in the case that I extract it as the Lord of the Worlds requires, I will add from my own money an amount, so it will be, if Allah wills,
The Shaykh : A pure obligation and a pure heart, if Allah wills.
The presenter : Allah, may Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh. Welcome, peace be upon you. And upon you.
The Shaykh : Peace, mercy of Allah, and His blessings be upon you.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes.
The questioner : So a bonus is paid out to me from this army, and this bonus includes the army's interest. How is the interest calculated? It is deducted from my salary every month for the five years, for example, three dinars, and they work it with interest. So when I am discharged, they give it to me all at once. I am now asking for a fatwa: how do I extract it? How do I set the riba aside?
The Shaykh : You must do the thing you are speaking of. You must remove this riba. And I am warning you: do not call riba "interest," because it is not interest.
The questioner : It is not interest, of course.
The Shaykh : Because it is forbidden, whereas you and people, all people, call riba "interest."
The questioner : A common error.
The Shaykh : A common error, so beware, and beware again, of falling into it.
The questioner : Raa'id.
The Shaykh : Of falling into it again.
The questioner : Once, yes.
The Shaykh : As long as you, and praise be to Allah, are keen to adhere to the Shari'ah; had it not been for that, you would not have asked this question.
The questioner : Praise be to Allah.
The Shaykh : So this money, which is riba, it is not permissible for you to benefit from it, nor to benefit anyone else with it. Rather, you must extract it and spend it in what is called by the jurists "public facilities," meaning something in which the general public benefits.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Clear.
The questioner : Clear, but okay, I don't know what the amount is?
The Shaykh : Do you know? I understood now how you don't know?
The questioner : By Allah, I didn't know.
The Shaykh : I will tell you. How many years did you serve? How many dinars did they deduct from you?
The questioner : I don't know, why? Because there are several deductions. For example, there is money that is not deducted, for example, in the housing fund, one dinar is deducted per month, and there is no interest on that at all.
The Shaykh : What do I do now? Do you have a connection with the housing fund?
The questioner : Yes, there is the savings fund game, the housing fund, and the retirement benefits, which are the ones that have it, meaning you have a lot of it. Why? Because the retirement benefits deduct forty qirsh during the training phase and three pounds during the actual service phase. So I don't know how, meaning, I tried to ask the same accountant who will calculate it for me, and he says, "By Allah, I don't know how to calculate it for you. This interest, why? Because it changes every month from the previous month. I do not know. That is why I am keen to extract it, but I want to know how to determine the amount?"
The Shaykh : By Allah, I will not be smarter than you, nor am I more eager than you to stay away from what Allah has forbidden. But the thing I can tell you is that you must make your own effort (ijtihad) to know what is halal and what is haram of your money. You must make an effort, meaning,
The questioner : I will make an effort.
The Shaykh : So that you know the riba. And you deal with it as I mentioned to you. Then, yes, if you cannot determine the exact figure, you should be cautious for the sake of your hereafter, even if there is no worldly benefit in it, because as Allah the Exalted said:
And the Hereafter is better for you than the first [life].
وَلَلْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَّكَ مِنَ الْأُولَىٰThe questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : May Allah keep you safe.
The questioner : Okay, may Allah bless you. I mean, I am making my effort.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : With a sincere intention for Allah that I calculate this amount, and in the case that I extract it as the Lord of the Worlds requires, I will add from my own money an amount, so it will be, if Allah wills,
The Shaykh : A pure obligation and a pure heart, if Allah wills.
The presenter : Allah, may Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh. Welcome, peace be upon you. And upon you.
The Shaykh : Peace, mercy of Allah, and His blessings be upon you.
Source
سلسلة الهدى والنور، المجلس 1306 — d3watuna.com (19:35)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.