Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear brother in islam,

I am working in a foreign country where I was told to open a NRFC (Non resident foreign currency account) with a bank in my home country to have my salary credited.

My salary comes in USD, to this account which automatically gives interest, at the time of opening the account I have requested the bank that I don't need interest and thus to stop this for my account, but banks are not allowed to do so by the central bank regulations, and they suggested to auto transfer this amount to some needy people, but I left it at that and iam having VERY CLEAR ACCOUNTING WITH ME  to find how much is the interest money and how much is my salary, this I maintain every month in order to not mixup the interest portion.

In reading a answer to one of the questions asked by a sister, I am scared if I will be penalised for allowing interest to come into my account,

Please advice me if I can continue the way iam doing or should I take that money and destroy every time it is credited in my account.

jazakallah

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

What to do with interest money

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah and His Messenger (saws) have indeed declared the receiving and paying of ‘riba’ as absolutely Haraam and prohibited for the believers in very strong terms, and it is the prescribed duty of every believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, to abstain from dealing in ‘riba’.

Allah says further in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 278:

O Believers!, fear Allah and give up that ‘riba’ which is still due to you, if you are true believers. But if you do not do so, then you are warned of the declaration of war against you by Allah and His Messenger!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa verse 161:

That they took ‘riba’, although they were forbidden. And that they devoured men’s substance wrongfully. We have prepared for those among them who reject faith a grievous punishment (of Hell Fire)!

My beloved brother in Islam, first and foremost one who believes in Allah and the Last Day, must immediately abstain and stop taking any interest.

It is not as if it is deemed permissible in Islam for one to continue taking interest as long as he spends it on charity; for Allah does not accept anything in His Cause unless and until it is pure and lawful.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 2214 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘O people, Allah is Good and He, therefore, accepts only that which is good!’

Now the question arises what should one do with the interest money one has already accumulated in the past in ignorance of the Laws of Allah?

For the unlawful ‘interest’ money that one has accumulated in one’s past in ignorance of Allah’s Laws, the person has two choices:

1. One may leave it in the bank.
2. Or, one may take it and dispose it.

Some scholars are of the opinion that it does not help the cause of the believers to leave the interest in conventional banks for at best it helps them to generate more interest, and at worst, they may dispose it to an institution which might work against the Cause. In cases where one has already accumulated interest money in ignorance of Islamic Law, and Allah Subhanah has guided them, and they now wish to dispose off that illegal money, the scholars are of the opinion that one may take this interest with the intention that he wants to rid himself of this evil thing, and give it away to some charity without seeking any reward from Allah Subhanah for this spending. His only intention should be get rid of this unwanted and illegal money, and thus purify himself from the evil of ‘riba’. The believer who does this only because he fears the accounting of Allah on an Inevitable Day, will, if Allah Wills, be rewarded for keeping himself pure from the evils of ‘riba’.

The spending of illegally and unlawfully earned wealth does not have any worth in the Sight of Allah; for Allah is Good and Pure, and He accepts only what is good and pure.

The issue with the illegally and unlawfully accumulated money is not how best to spend it, but how soon can one rid himself of this illegal and unlawful wealth. His only intention in giving this money away should be to purify oneself and get rid of the evil that is with him. This illegal and unlawful money earned from interest can be compared to a burning coal in one’s hand! When one unintentionally and accidentally holds a burning coal, his only intention is to get rid of the burning coal from his hand; not where best to place it so that it can be of some benefit!

Your Question: Please advice me if I can continue the way iam doing or should I take that money and destroy every time it is credited in my account.

Beloved brother, may Allah Subhanah bless you and reward you appropriately for your sincere striving to be obedient to His Laws. If the bank which you are currently dealing with refuses to open an account which does not bear interest, you might try finding a bank which would not ‘insist’ on giving you interest on your account….beloved brother, basically you need to do whatever it takes to make sure that you are not a recipient of any interest funds.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan