What is the ruling on placing money in interest-based banks out of fear of theft?
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The Shaykh : Something else.
The questioner : In some countries, you cannot keep your money in the house, or it will be exposed to theft.
The Shaykh : If someone else said it.
The questioner : Even in Islamic countries, I mean.
The Shaykh : If someone else said it.
The questioner : We will pray Maghrib here, if Allah wills, together. May Allah bless you, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : We will pray Maghrib here.
The Shaykh : ... The matter has no answer if she fears him, and then she no longer asks about the Shaykh...
The questioner : Allahu Akbar. Every day I am ready to be at your service daily.
The Shaykh : Excuse me, may Allah bless you.
The questioner : With the good young men. We will pray Maghrib together, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Why did I say to him... Because this saying is one we have always heard. It was granted to me to travel for the sake of da'wah to some European countries, including Britain. There, when we were holding a scholarly session, questions like this would come to me. My brother, we are strangers here; we work, live, and earn some money. We are forced to deposit this money in the bank, or we would be exposed not only to having our money stolen, but to having our lives taken. So I say, by Allah, it is very, very regrettable that Muslims overlook it—perhaps the mildest word is that they forget it, but that prevents me from saying "forget," and I insist on my saying "overlook." They overlook that they adorn the walls of their houses with the verse: وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا 2 وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out, and He will provide for him from where he does not expect.; so this verse is not forgotten, rather they overlook it in practice and adorn the walls of their houses with it in practice. So I ask, where are these people... How did they forget this verse and the texts and Prophetic hadiths that revolve around it? I say: Which of the two men is more pleasing to Allah, first, and safer for himself and his wealth, second: the one who fears Allah or the one who disobeys Allah? Say now, say, if someone else said it, who is it?
The questioner : The one who fears Allah.
The Shaykh : Good, so it is up to us to realize the fear of Allah in our hearts, and then Allah will protect us in our persons and in our wealth as well. But where is the fear of Allah? Perhaps some of our brothers read with us in Sahih al-Bukhari the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), and may He reward him for Islam and the Sunnah with the best reward, for he is truly the only preserver of the Companions. He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:. The appointed day arrived, and he found himself unable to be with the creditor. What did he do? You will say with me, and I said and then recanted, so perhaps you will be with me in the saying first, and then in the recanting second. You will say this man is a fool, a madman, with no intellect, because he truly did the act of non-sane people. This is not madness. Does any of you do this? No, why? Because it is contrary to both the Shari'ah and the cosmic order at the same time. But Allah, who knows what is in hearts and chests, knows that this man is sincere and wants to fulfill his obligation, but has no way to fulfill it. Look, this is not a dry man; this is a man of pure sincerity. Because if he were otherwise, he would have sued him, saying, "I sent you by express mail, empty talk." He ignored him; therefore, he became the one paying two thousand dinars as the first installment, which is not Shari'ah-compliant, not legal, nor anything else. The creditor reminds us of the proverb, "Birds of a feather flock together." Also, a man of pure sincerity tells him the story of the plank. The creditor: Who does this today? One gets a thousand dinars by some means no one finds out about, then returns it after hearing the answer from the doer, and one believes the other and does not hide the story from him. That is the fear of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And so Allah made the sea subservient to this pious man. We are now afraid that we place money in a place no one knows of except Allah, and the thief comes. It is as if I said this in London, as if you are putting a flag here where there is treasure, and its owner is so-and-so. Subhan Allah, who does this? So you take the possible means and rely on Allah (Mighty and Majestic). So Allah protects you. And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out, to the end of it. Another hadith, also in "Sahih Muslim"; the first was in "Sahih al-Bukhari," but this one is also from the narration of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him). He said: . It has never happened in history from Adam to today that we hear a sound, even from a helicopter, that does not reach the ground. , he was, for example, walking, a cloud was like this, it went like that. , he would see this miracle. ; meaning: this is the fear of Allah by which you became deserving from Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that He make the clouds subservient to you. And where are we, my brothers? We justify our sins and transgressions by disobeying the fear of our Lord (Mighty and Majestic). This is the path of the polytheists, the path of the criminals, the path of the European materialists about whom the Lord of the Worlds said in the clear Qur'an, but to whom is the address? To us, the nations. [At-Tawbah 9:29] Who are they? [At-Tawbah 9:29] So we have become imitators of the Europeans who are described this way. They do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, so we also do this. These banks are foreign European goods. They colonized our lands, and they brought all their vices and their laws that disbelieve in Islam, and they planted them in our land and they grew well, and we ate from them bitter gourd, bitter, difficult gourd. Why? Because we do not fear Allah. Therefore, we advise every Muslim, from the wealthy Muslims, we remind them with such words and with his (peace and blessings be upon him) hadith: . The rich man never cheats. If his wealth was acquired by an unlawful means, by an interest-based means, then the consequence of riba is diminishment. It is enough for you that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) informs those who deal in riba that they are waging war against Allah and His Messenger. And whoever is at war with Allah, will he be victorious or will he be killed? No doubt he will be killed. So it is upon us to fear Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and to deal—I do not say we fear Allah and we rely on Him passively—we fear Allah and we take the lawful means in all our affairs, including in the preservation of our wealth. This is a reminder, and the reminder benefits the believers, if Allah wills.
The questioner : In some countries, you cannot keep your money in the house, or it will be exposed to theft.
The Shaykh : If someone else said it.
The questioner : Even in Islamic countries, I mean.
The Shaykh : If someone else said it.
The questioner : We will pray Maghrib here, if Allah wills, together. May Allah bless you, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : We will pray Maghrib here.
The Shaykh : ... The matter has no answer if she fears him, and then she no longer asks about the Shaykh...
The questioner : Allahu Akbar. Every day I am ready to be at your service daily.
The Shaykh : Excuse me, may Allah bless you.
The questioner : With the good young men. We will pray Maghrib together, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : Why did I say to him... Because this saying is one we have always heard. It was granted to me to travel for the sake of da'wah to some European countries, including Britain. There, when we were holding a scholarly session, questions like this would come to me. My brother, we are strangers here; we work, live, and earn some money. We are forced to deposit this money in the bank, or we would be exposed not only to having our money stolen, but to having our lives taken. So I say, by Allah, it is very, very regrettable that Muslims overlook it—perhaps the mildest word is that they forget it, but that prevents me from saying "forget," and I insist on my saying "overlook." They overlook that they adorn the walls of their houses with the verse: وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا 2 وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ And whoever fears Allah, He will make for him a way out, and He will provide for him from where he does not expect.; so this verse is not forgotten, rather they overlook it in practice and adorn the walls of their houses with it in practice. So I ask, where are these people... How did they forget this verse and the texts and Prophetic hadiths that revolve around it? I say: Which of the two men is more pleasing to Allah, first, and safer for himself and his wealth, second: the one who fears Allah or the one who disobeys Allah? Say now, say, if someone else said it, who is it?
The questioner : The one who fears Allah.
The Shaykh : Good, so it is up to us to realize the fear of Allah in our hearts, and then Allah will protect us in our persons and in our wealth as well. But where is the fear of Allah? Perhaps some of our brothers read with us in Sahih al-Bukhari the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), and may He reward him for Islam and the Sunnah with the best reward, for he is truly the only preserver of the Companions. He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
There was a man who lent to people—he would lend them a good loan—so a man came to him and said to him: Lend me a thousand dinars. He said: Bring a guarantor. He said: Allah is the guarantor. He said: Bring a witness. He said: Allah is the witness. So he paid him a thousand dinars, not paper, but red gold, and they agreed on the day of repayment, and the man took the thousand dinars and went out striking into the sea.
كان هناك رجل يسلف الناس - يقرضهم قرضًا حسنًا - ، فجاءه رجل قال له : أسلِفْني ألف دينار . قال : هات الكفيل . قال : الله الكفيل . قال : هات الشهيد . قال : الله الشهيد . فنقده ألف دينار مش ورق ولا ورِق ، وإنما ذهب أحمر ، وتواعدا على يوم الوفاء ، وأخذ الرجل الألف دينار وخرج ضاربًا في البحرHe took a plank, carved it and bored it, and packed a thousand dinars in it and secured its storage, then he came to the shore of the sea. He said: O Allah, You were the guarantor and You were the witness, and he threw the plank into the sea.
أخذ خشبة فحفرها ونقرها ، ودك فيها ألف دينار وأحكم حفظها ، ثم جاء إلى ساحل البحر ، قال : اللهم أنت كنت الكفيل وأنت كنت الشهيد ، وألقى الخشبة في البحرSo Allah (Mighty and Majestic) commands the waves to carry this piece of wood to the country of the man who is the creditor, and the man is waiting for the debtor on the appointed day. But the debtor did not come, and he saw this piece of wood being tossed by the waves before him. He took it and found it heavy and weighty. He took it home and broke it open, and what was inside? A thousand dinars, a strange thing. Then the debtor came.
فالله - عز وجل - يأمر الأمواج أن تأخذ هذه الخشبة إلى بلد الرجل الدائن والرجل في انتظار المدين في اليوم الموعود ، لكن ما جاءه المدين وإذا به يرى هذه الخشبة تتلاعب بها الأمواج بين يديه ، فأخذها وجدها وازنة ثقيلة ، أخذها إلى البيت كسرها والنهار إيش ؟ ألف دينار غريب ثم جاء المدينand paid him one thousand dinars.
ونقده ألف دينارHe said, "By Allah, I did this because time was catching up with me, and I felt that I would not be able to come to you on the appointed day, so I did such and such." He said, "May Allah bless your wealth," and he returned the thousand dinars to him.
يقول والله هذا الذي فعلته لأن تداركني الوقت وشعرت أني ما أستطيع أن آتيك في اليوم الموعود ففعلت كذا وكذا قال : بارك الله في مالك وأعاد له الألف دينارA man from those before you was walking in a desolate part of the land when he heard a voice from the clouds saying: "Water the land of so-and-so."
بينما رجل فيمَن قبلكم يمشي في فلاة من الأرض ؛ إذ سمع صوتًا من السحاب يقول : اسْقِ أرض فلانHe heard a voice from the clouds saying to the clouds: "Water the land of so-and-so by his name."
سمع صوتًا من السحاب يقول للسحاب : اسْقِ أرض فلان باسمهSo he walked along with the clouds.
فمشي هو مع السحابAnd lo, the clouds were raining on a specific garden plot. He looked down upon it and saw a man working in his land. He greeted him and called him by his name. He returned the greeting (peace be upon him). He saw a stranger on the land asking him, "Where are you from? What is your news? What is this?" He said to him, "By Allah, I was walking and I heard a voice from the clouds saying, 'Water the land of so-and-so,' so I came to you. And lo, the clouds are raining on you, while the lands around you are not. How is that?" He said, "By Allah, I do not know, but I have this land which I plant and harvest. I divide it into three parts: one third I return to the land, one third I spend on myself and my family, and the second third I give in charity to the poor and the needy." He said, "This is it."
وإذا بالسحاب يمطر أرضًا حديقة معيَّنة يطلُّ عليها يرى رجلًا يعمل في أرضه بيسلم عليه وبيسميه باسمه بيرد - عليه السلام - بيشوفو رجل غريب على الأرض يقول له بيسأله من أين شو خبرك شو كذا ؟ بيقول له والله أنا كنت ماشي فسمعت صوتًا من السحاب اسق أرض فلان فجئتك ، وإذا السحاب يمطرك أنت دونما حولك من الأراضي بم ذاك ؟ قال : والله لا أدري ، لكن أنا عندي هذه الأرض أزرعها أحصدها ، أجعلها أثلاثًا ثلاثة ، ثلث أعيده إلى الأرض ، ثلث أنفقه على نفسي وأهلي ، الثلث الثاني أتصدَّق به على الفقراء والمساكين . قال : هذا هوFight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth
قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَلَا يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَلَا يَدِينُونَ دِينَ الْحَقِّfrom those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled.
مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حَتَّى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَThe end of riba (usury or interest) is in diminution.
عاقبة الربا إلى قِلٍّ
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.