Fatwa No : 5654
I have an interest based loan

I have an interest based loan

I have an interest based loan on which I pay around Rs500 interest. On the other hand, I have a savings account on which I get Rs1000 as interest. I know that Riba is Haram. But can I use Rs500 from the Rs1000 of the interest received to offset the rs500 I pay on the loan and give the remaining Rs500 as charity?

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

Obtaining Interest based loans from a Bank, any Institution or a Person; opening Interest based Accounts, are both prohibited and impermissible in Shari'a and it is Wajib (essential) to refrain from doing so. Therefore it is necessary for the questioner to close his Savings Account and pay off the loan from the money deposited in it and finish off the Interest based transaction as well. Also the amount added as Interest in the Interest based Account should be given in charity, without the intention of Sawab and be vigilant to refrain from Interest based transactions as such in future. However if the questioner has settled the payment as mentioned, as per Shari'a it had become valid. As for the safety of cash, if it is felt necessary to open an Account, there is an allowance to open a Current Account or to open an Account in an Islamic Bank.

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

کمافی قال للہ تعالیٰ: ﴿وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا﴾ (البقرة: 275)
وفی مشکاۃ المصابیح: وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «اجْتَنِبُوا السَّبْعَ الْمُوبِقَاتِ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا هُنَّ قَالَ الشِّرْكُ بِاللَّهِ وَالسِّحْرُ وَقَتْلُ النَّفْسِ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ [ص:23] إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَكْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَكْلُ مَالِ الْيَتِيمِ وَالتَّوَلِّي يَوْمَ الزَّحْفِ وَقَذْفُ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ الْغَافِلَاتِ» اھ(1/22)۔
وفي مشكاة المصابيح أیضاً: عن جابر رضي الله عنه قال : لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم آكل الربا وموكله وكاتبه وشاهديه وقال: "هم سواء" ،رواه مسلم (2/ 134)
وفی الشامیۃ: الدفع إلى الفقير غير قيد بل مثله فيما يظهر لو بنى من الحرام بعينه مسجدا ونحوه مما يرجو به التقرب؛ لأن العلة رجاء الثواب فيما فيه العقاب ولا يكون ذلك إلا باعتقاد حله (قوله: إذا تصدق بالحرام القطعي) أي مع رجاء الثواب الناشئ عن استحلاله كما مر فافهم اھ(2/292)۔