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, SalaamAlaikum,

I want to show your reply to my brother to convince him to stop selling loans and credit cards and to employ his talents in one of the several Shariah compliant financial institutions. Hence, kindly reply to the following specific questions.

1. Is the property purchased with these incentives is Haram?

2. Is the rent from the mentioned property is Haram?

3. He provides the same money to his relatives as a financial help. The same money is Halaal or Haraam for his relatives?

4. Since the last 4 years he is paying zakaat, giving Qurbani (animal sacrifice) with the same money - haraam or Halaal?

JazakallahuKhair

(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:

Earning from bank riba

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.

Q-1: Is the property purchased with these incentives is Haram?

If indeed all the earnings of the person are based or derived from ‘riba’ (usury and/or interest), then indeed everything purchased from such ‘haraam’ earnings would also be deemed unlawful.

Q-2: Is the rent from the mentioned property is Haram?

Any income which is derived from a ‘haraam’ or unlawful source would obviously be deemed as unlawful. Thus if one has purchased a property from unlawful funds, all income or rent arriving from such a property would obviously be unlawful.

Q-3: He provides the same money to his relatives as a financial help. The same money is Halaal or Haraam for his relatives?

When one receives something in charity, the one who receives the charity is not required to ask whether or not the funds one is receiving is from lawful or unlawful sources. The one receiving the charity would assume that the funds they are receiving were earned in a lawful manner, and thus it would be lawful for them to utilize these funds.

If the funds were earned from unlawful sources, the one who strived to earn the unlawful will alone bear the sin of his deeds. Also the one giving charity from unlawfully earned wealth would not be eligible to earn any rewards for their deed from Allah Subhanah.

Q-4: Since the last 4 years he is paying zakaat, giving Qurbani (animal sacrifice) with the same money - haraam or Halaal?

Sahih Muslim Hadith 2214 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

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

If the sources of one’s livelihood are derived from ‘haraam’ or unlawful sources, their ‘zakah’, their charity, their sacrifice, etc. is absolutely unacceptable to Allah Subhanah….for The Lord Most High is Pure and Holy and He only accepts that which is pure!

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