The one who accepts interest and the one who pays it are cursed
Fatwa No: 91004

Question

This is regarding interest or bank loans. Not a single verse in the Quran states that giving interest is Haraam. It is only for taking or eating, not for giving. Even the Saheeh Muslim Hadeeth which is quoted (No. 1597 and Hadeeth No. 1598) talks about the one who eats, one who writes and one who arranges (agent). The Arabic word is Mu-ke-Lahu, which means the agent who gets customers to bank not the giver of interest. There is wrong translation of the Arabic word. The Hadeeth is misquoted. When you take a house on loan the Jinns change. You are paying money for a house. Please comment.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 

It is forbidden to consume or give Ribaa (interest or usury) according to the consensus of all the Muslims. Moreover, the Prophet cursed the one who consumes Ribaa (i.e. usury or interest) and the one who gives it to others. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] As-San'aani said: 'What is meant by the Arabic word Muwkilahu is the one who gives Ribaa, as he is the its source so he is also sinful.' Besides, Ash-Shawkaani said: 'Muwkilahu means the one who gives Ribaa for others to consume, and the person who takes the money [Ribaa] is named [Aakil] as the consumer of Ribaa, but the one who gives it to others is named Muwakilahu [giving it to others to consume], because the money that is taken [Ribaa] is benefited from by its consummation.'

All the interpreters, jurists  and Muslim scholars interpreted the expression [muwkilahu], as above, so we do not know where the questioner discovered that all those who interpreted the expression as detailed above was wrong, and that the correct meaning is the meaning that he himself mentioned. There is no doubt that this is a deep ignorance of religious terminology and an opposition and a contradiction to all the Muslims; so the questioner should be careful of misunderstanding things and Saying on Allaah and His the Prophet without knowledge, and he should abide by the Saying of Allaah (which means): {so ask the people of the message if you do not know.}[Quran 16:43].    

Allaah Knows best.

Related Fatwa