What is the ruling on the interest and the accumulated wealth from an interest-bearing bank loan, such as when a person takes it from the bank and then repents?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : There is a question about riba (usury or interest), no problem...
The Shaykh : Please, go ahead.
The questioner : One of the brothers asks that he took a loan from the bank
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : an interest-bearing one
The Shaykh : This is one of the brothers
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Do you see how they took a lesson?
The questioner : He repented to Allah
The Shaykh : No problem, no problem, you named it something
The questioner : No, brother
The Shaykh : No problem, did you name it? Did they know?
The questioner : No, they did not know
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you, you did not name it, and therefore there is no backbiting, but take it as a lesson; a brother of ours repented, praise be to Allah
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But in the Islamic society, how many people are there who pray and fast, and perhaps stand in night prayer and fast during the day, and so on, yet they engage in transactions that I do not tell you are merely interest-based, but forbidden transactions? This is a merchant who does not ask whether the things he sells aid in wrongdoing or not? He buys things he knows are stolen or looted, and it does not matter to him; the important thing is accumulating wealth, and he is a Muslim and righteous, and he fasts, and perhaps he is keen to pray in the first row, and so on. Is this the Islamic society? With these people will the Muslim state be established? Far from it, far from it, you are not promised that.
Another questioner : These are the ones about whom Allah said: He will make their deeds scattered dust.
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar, yes, is this what he did?
The questioner : He took a loan from the bank in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars, and on this money there is riba (usury or interest)
The Shaykh : There is no power nor strength except with Allah, yes
The questioner : Whether it is little or much
The Shaykh : And he repented
The questioner : And these twenty-five thousand dirhams, he traded with them, and now they have become, meaning
The Shaykh : millions
The questioner : thousands upon thousands, so he repented from that. What is required of him? Because he consulted some people who have no knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, and they told him that he must give out these twenty-five thousand, knowing that he had paid off the amount, which was twenty-five thousand, to the bank from his monthly salary, along with the interest
Another questioner : along with the riba (usury or interest)
The questioner : along with the riba (usury or interest) — laughs — yes, along with the riba (usury or interest), along with the riba (usury or interest). So here, some people issued a ruling for him that he should give out these twenty-five thousand from the wealth he accumulated from this trade, which is the twenty-five thousand, and give out these twenty-five thousand along with the interest, along with the riba (usury or interest), and repent to Allah with a sincere repentance. Is this statement correct?
The Shaykh : Correct to some extent
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Meaning, this is necessary
The questioner : Repentance, yes
The Shaykh : Meaning, these two things are necessary, but in my opinion, it is not sufficient. Why? Because in my opinion, it is not sufficient. Why? Because what was derived from the twenty-five thousand, whatever is built upon a defective foundation is defective.
The questioner : Meaning, is the statement of the fatwa correct? Yes
The Shaykh : I say, my brother, the fatwa ordering him to repent and give out the twenty-five thousand, this is necessary. I do not say the fatwa is correct
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I say the fatwa is incomplete
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And I clarified the reason, because the twenty-five thousand, which is forbidden wealth, grew upon it, as I said, thousands, if not millions. Whatever is built upon a defective foundation is defective. So I say that this person, in addition to the two things mentioned above, must continue to give much charity from this accumulated wealth he has, such that he feels that his soul has been purified from the previous burdens of riba (usury or interest). His example is like this: this is an example of impure water in which impurity fell and it became impure. How is it purified? By increasing the amount, increasing the impure water with pure water, until it is most likely that this water has exited its state of being impure, and not just to being pure, but to being purifying.
The questioner : To whom does he give this money?
The Shaykh : He gives this money, the profit gained from the haram (forbidden)
The questioner : from the haram (forbidden), yes
The Shaykh : This can be given to the poor and the needy, because it is not the riba (usury or interest) itself
The questioner :Sahih Muslim 1015
The Shaykh : It is not the riba (usury or interest) itself. You take, listen to me, and then if you have an observation, you can express it
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : If a man deposited twenty thousand and took twenty-five, meaning five as riba (usury or interest), this is not permissible to give to the poor and the needy
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But our issue is not like that. These five, which are riba (usury or interest), must be spent in public facilities, as we say, and not for specific individuals from the poor or the needy or the destitute
Another questioner : This is not...
The Shaykh : As for the issue we are discussing, it is not that one. There is no objection to him continuing to give charity from this wealth he acquired from the twenty-five thousand, which is the riba (usury or interest) itself. I do not have [a ruling] on this, and Allah knows best. And now, do you allow us, Professor?
The questioner : And is zakah (the obligatory alms) required of him as well?
The Shaykh : Of course, zakah (the obligatory alms) is required of him, a fortiori.
The questioner : A simple question, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Please, go ahead.
The questioner : One of the brothers asks that he took a loan from the bank
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : an interest-bearing one
The Shaykh : This is one of the brothers
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Do you see how they took a lesson?
The questioner : He repented to Allah
The Shaykh : No problem, no problem, you named it something
The questioner : No, brother
The Shaykh : No problem, did you name it? Did they know?
The questioner : No, they did not know
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you, you did not name it, and therefore there is no backbiting, but take it as a lesson; a brother of ours repented, praise be to Allah
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But in the Islamic society, how many people are there who pray and fast, and perhaps stand in night prayer and fast during the day, and so on, yet they engage in transactions that I do not tell you are merely interest-based, but forbidden transactions? This is a merchant who does not ask whether the things he sells aid in wrongdoing or not? He buys things he knows are stolen or looted, and it does not matter to him; the important thing is accumulating wealth, and he is a Muslim and righteous, and he fasts, and perhaps he is keen to pray in the first row, and so on. Is this the Islamic society? With these people will the Muslim state be established? Far from it, far from it, you are not promised that.
Another questioner : These are the ones about whom Allah said: He will make their deeds scattered dust.
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar, yes, is this what he did?
The questioner : He took a loan from the bank in the amount of twenty-five thousand dollars, and on this money there is riba (usury or interest)
The Shaykh : There is no power nor strength except with Allah, yes
The questioner : Whether it is little or much
The Shaykh : And he repented
The questioner : And these twenty-five thousand dirhams, he traded with them, and now they have become, meaning
The Shaykh : millions
The questioner : thousands upon thousands, so he repented from that. What is required of him? Because he consulted some people who have no knowledge of the Book and the Sunnah, and they told him that he must give out these twenty-five thousand, knowing that he had paid off the amount, which was twenty-five thousand, to the bank from his monthly salary, along with the interest
Another questioner : along with the riba (usury or interest)
The questioner : along with the riba (usury or interest) — laughs — yes, along with the riba (usury or interest), along with the riba (usury or interest). So here, some people issued a ruling for him that he should give out these twenty-five thousand from the wealth he accumulated from this trade, which is the twenty-five thousand, and give out these twenty-five thousand along with the interest, along with the riba (usury or interest), and repent to Allah with a sincere repentance. Is this statement correct?
The Shaykh : Correct to some extent
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Meaning, this is necessary
The questioner : Repentance, yes
The Shaykh : Meaning, these two things are necessary, but in my opinion, it is not sufficient. Why? Because in my opinion, it is not sufficient. Why? Because what was derived from the twenty-five thousand, whatever is built upon a defective foundation is defective.
The questioner : Meaning, is the statement of the fatwa correct? Yes
The Shaykh : I say, my brother, the fatwa ordering him to repent and give out the twenty-five thousand, this is necessary. I do not say the fatwa is correct
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I say the fatwa is incomplete
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And I clarified the reason, because the twenty-five thousand, which is forbidden wealth, grew upon it, as I said, thousands, if not millions. Whatever is built upon a defective foundation is defective. So I say that this person, in addition to the two things mentioned above, must continue to give much charity from this accumulated wealth he has, such that he feels that his soul has been purified from the previous burdens of riba (usury or interest). His example is like this: this is an example of impure water in which impurity fell and it became impure. How is it purified? By increasing the amount, increasing the impure water with pure water, until it is most likely that this water has exited its state of being impure, and not just to being pure, but to being purifying.
The questioner : To whom does he give this money?
The Shaykh : He gives this money, the profit gained from the haram (forbidden)
The questioner : from the haram (forbidden), yes
The Shaykh : This can be given to the poor and the needy, because it is not the riba (usury or interest) itself
The questioner :
Allah is Good and He therefore, accepts only that which is good
إنّ الله طيّب لا يقبل إلاّ طيّباThe Shaykh : It is not the riba (usury or interest) itself. You take, listen to me, and then if you have an observation, you can express it
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : If a man deposited twenty thousand and took twenty-five, meaning five as riba (usury or interest), this is not permissible to give to the poor and the needy
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : But our issue is not like that. These five, which are riba (usury or interest), must be spent in public facilities, as we say, and not for specific individuals from the poor or the needy or the destitute
Another questioner : This is not...
The Shaykh : As for the issue we are discussing, it is not that one. There is no objection to him continuing to give charity from this wealth he acquired from the twenty-five thousand, which is the riba (usury or interest) itself. I do not have [a ruling] on this, and Allah knows best. And now, do you allow us, Professor?
The questioner : And is zakah (the obligatory alms) required of him as well?
The Shaykh : Of course, zakah (the obligatory alms) is required of him, a fortiori.
The questioner : A simple question, O Shaykh.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.