The Ruling on Eating from the Wealth of a Person Who Earned It Illicitly
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Your Eminence! Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. I have a brother who works in one of the interest-based banks. I have spoken with him about this matter, but he relies on the fatwa of Shaykh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the Mufti of Egypt at the time, to validate the Shariah legitimacy of his work. When we return to Egypt for the summer vacation, he invites me and my family to eat at his home, and he has no income other than his salary from this job. May I accept the invitation in order to maintain family ties, or not? And is it permissible to give him a sum of money as a gift with the intention that if he invites me to eat at his place, I would thereby be eating from my own money, in order to maintain family ties? Please issue a ruling for us. May Allah reward you with good.
I say: If this man is sincere in that he followed the fatwa of this scholar, and his intention is not to follow dispensations, then he is not sinful at all;Because Allah says: [Surah al-Nahl: 43], and this person has followed a scholar, so nothing is required of him, just as if a person ate donkey meat and asked a scholar, and the scholar told him: that eating donkey meat does not invalidate the ablution, so he prayed while having eaten donkey meat. Is his prayer invalid? No.
This person who ate interest relying on the statement of a scholar who follows a fatwa, whose intention is not to follow desires or follow dispensations, owes nothing. This is with regard to your brother’s work.
As for what we see, the fatwa of the Mufti of Egypt in this matter is an error and a mistake, and that there is no difference between investment interest and exploitative interest,And the evidence for this is: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was brought good dates and he asked,So they said: “We used to take one sa’ of these for two sa’s, and two sa’s for three sa’s,”So he said: (This is the very essence of interest), and he ordered it to be returned. This is clearly not exploitative and not oppressive, and yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it. So the fatwa is wrong.
And on this basis, we see that as long as your brother assists in eating interest, writes it, and testifies to it, we see that he is sinful, and that it is obligatory for him to abandon it. But if he insists and remains, and you go to him and eat from what he has, there is no harm, and you are not sinful, even if you believe that this is forbidden. Because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he ate from the food of the Jews, and the Jews, as you know, are consumers of illicit wealth and takers of interest.And the Messenger did not ask, saying: Did you deal in interest or not? This indicates that it is permissible for a person to eat from one whose earnings are forbidden, and he is not sinful. But do not be more than advising your brother, perhaps Allah will guide him. And give him good news that if he repents, what has passed is forgiven. Everything he earned before that is lawful for him;because of His saying, the Exalted: [Surah al-Baqarah: 275] especially if he is relying on a fatwa he believes to be correct.
We ask Allah to grant me and you beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.
I say: If this man is sincere in that he followed the fatwa of this scholar, and his intention is not to follow dispensations, then he is not sinful at all;Because Allah says:
So ask the people of the message if you do not know.
فَاسْأَلوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَThis person who ate interest relying on the statement of a scholar who follows a fatwa, whose intention is not to follow desires or follow dispensations, owes nothing. This is with regard to your brother’s work.
As for what we see, the fatwa of the Mufti of Egypt in this matter is an error and a mistake, and that there is no difference between investment interest and exploitative interest,And the evidence for this is: that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was brought good dates and he asked,So they said: “We used to take one sa’ of these for two sa’s, and two sa’s for three sa’s,”So he said: (This is the very essence of interest), and he ordered it to be returned. This is clearly not exploitative and not oppressive, and yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade it. So the fatwa is wrong.
And on this basis, we see that as long as your brother assists in eating interest, writes it, and testifies to it, we see that he is sinful, and that it is obligatory for him to abandon it. But if he insists and remains, and you go to him and eat from what he has, there is no harm, and you are not sinful, even if you believe that this is forbidden. Because it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he ate from the food of the Jews, and the Jews, as you know, are consumers of illicit wealth and takers of interest.And the Messenger did not ask, saying: Did you deal in interest or not? This indicates that it is permissible for a person to eat from one whose earnings are forbidden, and he is not sinful. But do not be more than advising your brother, perhaps Allah will guide him. And give him good news that if he repents, what has passed is forgiven. Everything he earned before that is lawful for him;because of His saying, the Exalted:
So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allah
فَمَنْ جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ فَانْتَهَى فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِWe ask Allah to grant me and you beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.