What is the ruling on the loan that vegetable merchants give to farmers on the condition that the farmers bring the merchants the first of their harvest, and is this usury or interest?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The questioner : How is our Shaykh doing, if Allah wills, is he well?
The Shaykh : Welcome, Abu 'Abdullah.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh: How are you?
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, I am well.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : Welcome, my Shaykh, my Shaykh. Regarding the current situation, some of the market inspectors in the central market...
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : The vegetable market gives loans to farmers on the condition that they transfer their agricultural produce to their shops, meaning that they distribute this merchandise or the agricultural product they produce to the shops of these people.
The Shaykh : The lenders.
The questioner : The lenders.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible.
The questioner : This is not permissible.
The Shaykh : No.
The questioner : Meaning, imposing such a condition, this condition is invalid.
The Shaykh : Yes, because as the scholars say, every loan that brings a benefit is usury or interest, and the loan is supposed to be for the sake of Allah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Whoever lends to Allah a good loan, He will multiply it for him. And this is clear: first, it is not for the sake of Allah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And second, you know that a thing is not for the sake of Allah just because it is for material gain. If someone lends so that people will say, "By Allah, so-and-so is a doer of good, so-and-so is generous," this is not for the sake of Allah, even though he did not benefit financially. Here, the two evils coincide: first, the loan was not for the sake of Allah, and second, the loan was for material benefit, which is that the farmer returns his harvest to this lender.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the saying "every loan that brings a benefit is usury or interest" is true in this case. But I say, for the sake of immediate benefit, this phrase in its absolute form is not correct.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because it may include a ruling that is permissible by the Shari'ah. Therefore, at least in the mind, when the speaker wants to cite this phrase, "every loan that brings a benefit is usury or interest," it is necessary that at least in his mind the correct meaning is that every loan that brings a benefit *on condition* is usury or interest.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : What is the difference then between conditional and unconditional? For example, if I borrowed a thousand dinars from a person named Zayd and he lent them to me for the sake of Allah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But I, out of the spirit of[Ar-Rahman 55:60] and out of the spirit of: a sound hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). So if I repay the lender who was kind to me a thousand dinars, for example, I add a hundred dinars, I give him a thousand and a hundred. This is not usury or interest, but this is in the spirit of [Ar-Rahman 55:60]. Whereas if he had stipulated at the beginning of the loan, "I will give you a thousand on the condition that you give them back to me as a thousand and a hundred," this would be invalid. I think this is clear in your mind, if Allah wills.
The questioner : If Allah wills, Lord of the Worlds.
The Shaykh : Yes, and others.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The questioner : How is our Shaykh doing, if Allah wills, is he well?
The Shaykh : Welcome, Abu 'Abdullah.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh: How are you?
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, I am well.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The questioner : Welcome, my Shaykh, my Shaykh. Regarding the current situation, some of the market inspectors in the central market...
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : The vegetable market gives loans to farmers on the condition that they transfer their agricultural produce to their shops, meaning that they distribute this merchandise or the agricultural product they produce to the shops of these people.
The Shaykh : The lenders.
The questioner : The lenders.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible.
The questioner : This is not permissible.
The Shaykh : No.
The questioner : Meaning, imposing such a condition, this condition is invalid.
The Shaykh : Yes, because as the scholars say, every loan that brings a benefit is usury or interest, and the loan is supposed to be for the sake of Allah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Whoever lends to Allah a good loan, He will multiply it for him. And this is clear: first, it is not for the sake of Allah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And second, you know that a thing is not for the sake of Allah just because it is for material gain. If someone lends so that people will say, "By Allah, so-and-so is a doer of good, so-and-so is generous," this is not for the sake of Allah, even though he did not benefit financially. Here, the two evils coincide: first, the loan was not for the sake of Allah, and second, the loan was for material benefit, which is that the farmer returns his harvest to this lender.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the saying "every loan that brings a benefit is usury or interest" is true in this case. But I say, for the sake of immediate benefit, this phrase in its absolute form is not correct.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because it may include a ruling that is permissible by the Shari'ah. Therefore, at least in the mind, when the speaker wants to cite this phrase, "every loan that brings a benefit is usury or interest," it is necessary that at least in his mind the correct meaning is that every loan that brings a benefit *on condition* is usury or interest.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : What is the difference then between conditional and unconditional? For example, if I borrowed a thousand dinars from a person named Zayd and he lent them to me for the sake of Allah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But I, out of the spirit of
Is the reward for good [anything] but good?
هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُThe best of you is the best of you in repaying debts, and I am the best of you in repaying debts.
خيركم خيركم قضاءً ، وأنا خيركم قضاءًIs the reward for good [anything] but good?
هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُThe questioner : If Allah wills, Lord of the Worlds.
The Shaykh : Yes, and others.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.