Is it permissible for a person who has no money to undergo a dangerous heart operation to take a loan from a bank, considering it a case of dire necessity?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is it possible that a person who had a dangerous heart operation and is about to die, and has no money, takes from the bank to perform the operation? Is this a case of dire necessity or not?
The Shaykh : Absolutely not. Let him go and steal, or eat through riba (usury or interest). What do you think? Is it permissible for him to steal?
The questioner : No, the servant (of Allah) does not.
The Shaykh : Is it permissible for this person you described to steal?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : He will die.
The questioner : Lifespans are in the hand of Allah.
The Shaykh : The audience : They laugh.
The Shaykh : This is not an answer.
The questioner: Okay
The Shaykh : Go and beg, my brother. Have you seen where our logic has led us? We have descended from riba (usury or interest) to theft, and then to begging. I think the description you gave is imaginary, but we are required to follow the imaginary? This is before he eats riba (usury or interest); he steals so he does not die. Before he steals, he begs so he does not die. And you see that begging has become a profession and a trade today. Who is this person you are afraid will die of hunger? No, no. He should beg. He goes to his neighbor and says, "Please, lend me a dinar so I can buy bread." I do not think a person would refuse to lend him a dinar to buy bread. Therefore, all of this is imagination, and all of it is twisting and turning to make permissible what Allah has forbidden.
The questioner : So, does he leave his son to die, or does he go and borrow, or commit another haram (forbidden) act? This is the second alternative you presented to me.
The Shaykh : You did not notice, my brother. The haram (forbidden) acts have degrees. Riba (usury or interest) is the highest, and below it is theft. So, if he is truly in dire necessity, he will steal; he will not eat riba (usury or interest). Do you understand?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, but below theft, there is begging. It is permissible for him to ask people if he is in need. It is not permissible for him to steal, and even less is it permissible for him to eat riba (usury or interest). It is not permissible for him to beg as long as he finds someone among the people who will lend him a loan for the sake of Allah. The haram (forbidden) acts have degrees, so it is not permissible to jump from one to another under the ruling of dire necessity. Know that we are telling you there is no dire necessity here; this is imagination. Show me a person in your country who died of hunger. There is no such person. It is all imagination, unfortunately.
The Shaykh : Absolutely not. Let him go and steal, or eat through riba (usury or interest). What do you think? Is it permissible for him to steal?
The questioner : No, the servant (of Allah) does not.
The Shaykh : Is it permissible for this person you described to steal?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : He will die.
The questioner : Lifespans are in the hand of Allah.
The Shaykh : The audience : They laugh.
The Shaykh : This is not an answer.
The questioner: Okay
The Shaykh : Go and beg, my brother. Have you seen where our logic has led us? We have descended from riba (usury or interest) to theft, and then to begging. I think the description you gave is imaginary, but we are required to follow the imaginary? This is before he eats riba (usury or interest); he steals so he does not die. Before he steals, he begs so he does not die. And you see that begging has become a profession and a trade today. Who is this person you are afraid will die of hunger? No, no. He should beg. He goes to his neighbor and says, "Please, lend me a dinar so I can buy bread." I do not think a person would refuse to lend him a dinar to buy bread. Therefore, all of this is imagination, and all of it is twisting and turning to make permissible what Allah has forbidden.
The questioner : So, does he leave his son to die, or does he go and borrow, or commit another haram (forbidden) act? This is the second alternative you presented to me.
The Shaykh : You did not notice, my brother. The haram (forbidden) acts have degrees. Riba (usury or interest) is the highest, and below it is theft. So, if he is truly in dire necessity, he will steal; he will not eat riba (usury or interest). Do you understand?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, but below theft, there is begging. It is permissible for him to ask people if he is in need. It is not permissible for him to steal, and even less is it permissible for him to eat riba (usury or interest). It is not permissible for him to beg as long as he finds someone among the people who will lend him a loan for the sake of Allah. The haram (forbidden) acts have degrees, so it is not permissible to jump from one to another under the ruling of dire necessity. Know that we are telling you there is no dire necessity here; this is imagination. Show me a person in your country who died of hunger. There is no such person. It is all imagination, unfortunately.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.