A man borrowed from a bank to open a shop, went bankrupt, and the ruling on his zakah
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
A man owns a commercial shop, and the large part of his capital was a bank loan from the Bank of Riyadh. After two years, the shop went bankrupt and he has some debts. Does he have to pay the zakah for the two years? He is currently an employee.
The Shaykh: But did he go bankrupt before the zakah became obligatory, or after it became obligatory?The questioner: He went bankrupt after the completion of two years.
The Shaykh: He owes zakah.
The questioner: How does he pay the zakah? Because the capital in the first year was known, but in the second year it was not known?The Shaykh: He should estimate it. And the story you mentioned is that the man borrowed from the bank, opened this shop, and bankruptcy occurred.We must take a lesson from this from two aspects: The first aspect: That what is built upon a falsehood, Allah does not make much good or blessing in it.
The second aspect: It is not befitting for a person to borrow in order to open a shop; because this is poor management. How do you burden your liability with money when you do not know if you will be able to return it or not?! And the common people say a correct example: (Stretch your leg according to your blanket); because if you stretch your leg beyond your blanket, it will be exposed and become apparent.
Therefore, I advise my brothers not to be greedy, borrowing to open a shop or to increase trade. Rather, they should trade with the money they have in a permissible manner, and what they do not have, they should not seek.
The questioner: In the second year, the money was exhausted.
The Shaykh: If he went bankrupt and his money was exhausted before the second year, then there is no zakah on him for the second year.
The questioner: If the bank does not take interest?The Shaykh: Your saying: "If the bank does not take interest" is not the case. The bank cannot give you a single qirsh unless it is guaranteed by riba.
The questioner: The real estate bank?The Shaykh: The real estate bank was not named,Rather, he specified and said: The Bank of Riyadh.
The questioner himself: The Shaykh: The real estate bank does not give except through the government; but the government made it through the bank only, not from its own money. The bank cannot give you from its money except that it has taken a profit from you, and indeed, as the term increases, the riba increases.
The Shaykh: But did he go bankrupt before the zakah became obligatory, or after it became obligatory?The questioner: He went bankrupt after the completion of two years.
The Shaykh: He owes zakah.
The questioner: How does he pay the zakah? Because the capital in the first year was known, but in the second year it was not known?The Shaykh: He should estimate it. And the story you mentioned is that the man borrowed from the bank, opened this shop, and bankruptcy occurred.We must take a lesson from this from two aspects: The first aspect: That what is built upon a falsehood, Allah does not make much good or blessing in it.
The second aspect: It is not befitting for a person to borrow in order to open a shop; because this is poor management. How do you burden your liability with money when you do not know if you will be able to return it or not?! And the common people say a correct example: (Stretch your leg according to your blanket); because if you stretch your leg beyond your blanket, it will be exposed and become apparent.
Therefore, I advise my brothers not to be greedy, borrowing to open a shop or to increase trade. Rather, they should trade with the money they have in a permissible manner, and what they do not have, they should not seek.
The questioner: In the second year, the money was exhausted.
The Shaykh: If he went bankrupt and his money was exhausted before the second year, then there is no zakah on him for the second year.
The questioner: If the bank does not take interest?The Shaykh: Your saying: "If the bank does not take interest" is not the case. The bank cannot give you a single qirsh unless it is guaranteed by riba.
The questioner: The real estate bank?The Shaykh: The real estate bank was not named,Rather, he specified and said: The Bank of Riyadh.
The questioner himself: The Shaykh: The real estate bank does not give except through the government; but the government made it through the bank only, not from its own money. The bank cannot give you from its money except that it has taken a profit from you, and indeed, as the term increases, the riba increases.