Which is better, charity or a loan?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Which is better, O Shaykh, charity or a loan?
The Shaykh : Which is more beneficial? Which is more beneficial?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : A loan is considered charity.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is charity, but it is charity in terms of benefit. Regular charity is charity in terms of the item itself and its benefit. With a loan, the debtor's liability is engaged, whereas with regular charity, the recipient's liability is not engaged. However, if someone comes to borrow from me and I say, "I will give you this as charity," and he says, "No, I do not want a loan," then in this case, the loan may be better because it is suitable for what my Muslim brother chooses.
The questioner : Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Shaykh, if someone sells what he needs, for example, if he sells a car to a person on behalf of another, why do we not correct the sale and make it contingent upon the approval of the car's owner?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : Which is more beneficial? Which is more beneficial?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : A loan is considered charity.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is charity, but it is charity in terms of benefit. Regular charity is charity in terms of the item itself and its benefit. With a loan, the debtor's liability is engaged, whereas with regular charity, the recipient's liability is not engaged. However, if someone comes to borrow from me and I say, "I will give you this as charity," and he says, "No, I do not want a loan," then in this case, the loan may be better because it is suitable for what my Muslim brother chooses.
The questioner : Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Shaykh, if someone sells what he needs, for example, if he sells a car to a person on behalf of another, why do we not correct the sale and make it contingent upon the approval of the car's owner?
The Shaykh : Yes.