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Controversy regarding investment cards

Question

I asked your website about the interest rate from 'Shehadaat Istithmar' from the Ahly bank in Egypt and you said that this interest rate is definitely Haram. However, other scholars from the Azhar such as Dr. Mohammed Tantawy and Dr. Abla El Kahlawy said that they are Halal. This is very confusing. My children and I have decided not to touch the interest coming from this source until we get some clarification. My husband, however, depends on interest from these Shahadah to support our family completely. So does this mean that the food he brings to our table is Haram? Finally, some people have suggested putting our savings in a "Wadiaa" with fluctuating interest rate, but still with the same bank. What do you advise me to do?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

If some scholars legalize what you call "Shehadaat Istithmar" in Al-Ahly (National) bank, then this does not constitute a justification for a Muslim to leave what is right, especially if there is a clear evidence for that and it is assured by a large number of scholars, as it is the case of these "Shehadaat". The Councils of Fiqh interested in such a matter are agreed upon the prohibition of such Shehadaat (scripts), purchasing them and benefiting from their interests.

Thus, we recommend the inquiring sister, who (as we noticed) fears Allah, to advise her husband to quit such an action and to repent to Allah.

Allah Says (what means): {… but if you repent, you shall have your capital sums. Deal not unjustly (by asking more than your capital sums), and you shall not be dealt with unjustly (by receiving less than your capital sums).} [Quran 2: 279]

In other words, he has to stop such dealings, withdraw his capital, and then get rid of interest by spending it in the general welfare of the Muslims.

Then, your husband has to listen to the Hadeeth narrated by Abdullah Ibn Hanzala  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him (who was washed by the Angels), who said that Allah's Messenger  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: "Consuming one Dirham from Riba knowingly is worse than thirty-six times of Zina (fornication and adultery)." [Ahmad]

So, we state that not only the bread that you buy with interest, which is forbidden, but also everything that is purchased with ill-gotten money is forbidden.

As for depositing your money according to the system of "deposits with changeable income", there is no harm –Allah willing –provided that: (1) such deposits are to be in separate accounts, i.e. not related to Riba accounts even in administration, and (2) such transactions should be supervised by the Sharee’ah Committee that has authority to ensure their being free from Riba and that all transactions are done in accordance with the Sharee’ah.

Allah Knows best.

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