May Allah reward you! I am pleased to inform you that many of those who work in riba-based banks are anxious about their work.

The questioner : The questioner says, honorableThe Shaykh : I am pleased to inform you that many of those who work in riba-based banks are anxious about their work, and a number of them have turned back to Allah, left their jobs, and Allah has made it easy for them to find better work. But my question, O honorable Shaykh, which has confused me is: How does the repentance of a usurer take place? Does he have to give up the forbidden money he has earned?

The Shaykh : Is it?

The questioner : Does he have to give up all the forbidden money he has earned, or what should he do? I have read differing statements from the scholars. Some said that he should dispose of the forbidden money in his possession if he was aware of its prohibition, but if he was not, he does not have to give up anything. Others said that he may keep everything in his possession before his repentance, to make it easier for him to repent. And others said that he should dispose of all the riba, because Allah says: . So what is the ruling supported by the evidence? May Allah reward you for us, and make the path of deliverance from all that is forbidden easy for our brothers?

The Shaykh : What appears to me is that if he did not know that this is forbidden, he may keep everything he took and nothing is required of him. Or if he was misled by a scholar’s fatwa that it is not forbidden, he does not have to give up anything. And Allah the Exalted said: . But if he was aware of it, he must dispose of the riba. He disposes of the riba by giving it in charity to get rid of it, or by building mosques, repairing roads, or the like. Yes.