Fatwa ID: 09223
Answered by Muftiyah Humairah Badshah
Question:
Assalamu-alaykum.
There are many homeless cats on the street without basic necessities such as food water and medication. I try to help as many homeless and stray cats by getting them food, medicine, vaccination and neutering. Vet prices are very very costly is it permissible for me to collect and use interest money for those stray and abandoned cats? Jzk
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Dispose of interest money by returning it to its rightful owner. If you are unable to, then donate the money to charity.
Interest (riba) is forbidden, and money obtained from interest would be considered as illicitly-obtained wealth.[1] When a person comes into possession of illicitly-obtained wealth, the primary recourse is to return the money back to its rightful owner.[2] If that is not possible, then the money must be donated in charity.[3]
Understand that interest is a serious sin, and so you must not benefit from interest money in any way.[1] Therefore, you should avoid deliberately incorporating interest-based money into your daily life, whether through personal charitable works or otherwise, and you should instead hand over the money to a charitable organisation.
Jabir [ra] said that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) cursed the accepter of interest and its payer, and one who records it, and the two witnesses, and he said: “They are all equal.” [Sahih Muslim 1598] [1]
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Muftiyah Humairah Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
ذَكَرَ الرِّبَا، لِأَنَّ فِي كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا زِيَادَةً إلَّا أَنَّ تِلْكَ الزِّيَادَةَ حَلَالٌ، وَهَذِهِ حَرَامٌ
…
تَعْرِيفُ رِبَا الْفَضْلِ، لِأَنَّهُ هُوَ الْمُتَبَادَرُ عِنْدَ الْإِطْلَاقِ، وَلِذَا قَالَ فِي الْبَحْرِ فَضْلُ أَحَدِ الْمُتَجَانِسَيْنِ. نَعَمْ هَذَا يُنَاسِبُ تَعْرِيفَ الْكَنْزِ بِقَوْلِهِ فَضْلُ مَالٍ بِلَا عِوَضٍ فِي مُعَاوَضَةِ مَالٍ بِمَالٍ
فَإِنَّ الْأَجَلَ فِي أَحَدِ الْعِوَضَيْنِ فَضْلٌ حُكْمِيٌّ بِلَا عِوَضٍ، وَلَمَّا كَانَ الْأَجَلُ يُقْصَدُ لَهُ زِيَادَةُ الْعِوَضِ كَمَا مَرَّ فِي الْمُرَابَحَةِ صَحَّ وَصْفُهُ بِكَوْنِهِ فَضْلَ مَالٍ حُكْمًا
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.5 p.168
عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم آكِلَ الرِّبَا وَمُوكِلَهُ وَكَاتِبَهُ وَشَاهِدَيْهِ وَقَالَ هُمْ سَوَاءٌ
Sahih Muslim (https://sunnah.com) b.22, ch.19, no.132 (1598)
[2]
الرِّبَا فَيَجِبُ رَدُّ عَيْنِ الرِّبَا لَوْ قَائِمًا
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.5 p.169
[3]
يَتَصَدَّقُوا بِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ سَبِيلَ الْكَسْبِ الْخَبِيثِ التَّصَدُّقُ إذَا تَعَذَّرَ الرَّدُّ
Kitab Al-Bahr Al-Raa’iq (Daar Al-Kutub Al-Islaamiyyah, https://shamela.ws) v.8 p.229