Treating the sick does not justify dealing in riba

Question: A man had thirty thousand riyals, and he had a sick son. The doctors decided to perform an operation on him that would cost sixty thousand riyals. He could not find anyone to lend him the remaining amount, nor could he find any other way; so he invested the thirty thousand riyals in riba, and it became sixty thousand riyals. He treated his son with it, and he says: “Necessities permit the prohibited.” What is the opinion of the religion in this?

Answer: It is obligatory for him to repent to Allah from the riba transaction; because a pressing need does not permit riba transactions, and such a situation is not called a dire necessity; because treating the sick is recommended and not obligatory, and because he is able to borrow via a loan, or to buy a commodity at a deferred price, then sell it at a cash price lower than the deferred price, among other means that help him fulfill his need.
We ask Allah to guide us and him to sincere repentance, and success is from Allah.