My question, O honorable Shaykh: My father—may Allah forgive him—works in a bank that deals in usury or interest. What is the ruling on our taking from his wealth and eating and drinking from his wealth?
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The questioner : He says: My question, O honorableThe Shaykh : My father—may Allah forgive him—works in a bank that deals in usury or interest. What is the ruling on our taking from his wealth and eating and drinking from his wealth? However, we have another source of income through our elder sister, who works. Should we leave our father’s financial support and take our maintenance from our elder sister, even though we are a large family? Or is it not her obligation to support us, so that we take our maintenance from our father? Please give us a ruling, may Allah reward you with good and preserve you.
The Shaykh : I say: Take the maintenance from your father. You will have comfort, and he will have hardship, because you are taking the money from your father with a right. He has wealth, and you do not have wealth. So you are taking it with a right. Even if the hardship, loss, and sin are upon your father, that does not concern you. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted gifts from the Jews, ate the food of the Jews, and bought from the Jews, even though the Jews are known for what? For usury or interest and eating illicitly. But the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) takes by a permissible way. So if one possesses something by a permissible way, there is no harm. Look, for example, at Barirah, the freed slave of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them both). And the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), what did he do? He did not eat charity. So he said: Sahih Muslim 1074a. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ate it, even though it was forbidden for him to eat charity, because he did not receive it as charity. Rather, he received it as what? As a gift. So we say to these brothers: Eat from your father’s wealth with comfort and ease, and the sin and calamity are upon your father, unless Allah the Exalted guides him and he repents. Whoever repents, Allah accepts his repentance. Yes.
The Shaykh : I say: Take the maintenance from your father. You will have comfort, and he will have hardship, because you are taking the money from your father with a right. He has wealth, and you do not have wealth. So you are taking it with a right. Even if the hardship, loss, and sin are upon your father, that does not concern you. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted gifts from the Jews, ate the food of the Jews, and bought from the Jews, even though the Jews are known for what? For usury or interest and eating illicitly. But the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) takes by a permissible way. So if one possesses something by a permissible way, there is no harm. Look, for example, at Barirah, the freed slave of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them both)