Question:
Question1- Why is it permissible to give Interest money to a poor Muslim, because in the hadith it states in the near meaning that to take interest is like putting ones hands in the blood of swine and according to the Qur’an it is Haram like pork is Haram, so why is it permissible to give Interest money to a poor Muslim? Could you please explain from Qur’an and hadith and provide reference, Jazakallah Wassalaam Waleed.
Answer:
As a general rule no Muslim, of his own free will, should receive the interest accrued in his account. In fact he should surrender it to its actual owner if received. If this is not possible then only will the interest money be given in Sadaqah and the poor are the only ones who deserve Sadaqah. In doing so he will be giving Sadaqah on behalf of the actual owner of the money to whom he was not able to return the interest money, similar to the ruling regarding Luqtah (lost and found item). If a person finds a lost item of another then he should firstly try to return it to its rightful owner. If this is impossible then he should give it in Sadaqah and this will be on behalf of the actual owner. For this reason the interest money will be Halaal for the poor which is in actual fact given to him as Sadaqah on behalf of the actual owner of the money. (Fataawaa Darul Uloom, Vol. 2 (Imdaadul Mufteen), Page 453-456, Fataawaa Aalamgeeriyyah, Vol. 2, Page 212)
And Allah Ta’ala knows best
Qasim bin Hashim Limbada
Attested to as correct by:
Mufti Muhammad Ashraf
Darul Iftaa
Jameah Mahmoodiyah
Springs
26 March 2004
04 Safar 1425