Is it prohibited to use the interest of investment to pay utilities like phone credits or other bills?

· 14 Shawwal 1446 AH1 min readFatwa 43074English

Question

Is it prohibited to use the interest of investment to pay utilities suchlike phone credits or other bills as normal basis?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

In principal, interest money must be given to the poor and needy (who are eligible recipients of Zakat whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim) without the intention of reward.

Interest money cannot be used for one’s personal expenses. Therefore, it is not permissible to use interest to pay utility bills.[1]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Ahmed-Ur-Rahmaan Ibn Mufti Mohammed Patel (Rahmatullah Alaih)

Student Darul Iftaa

Azaadville, Johannesburg, South Africa

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

(2019-09-05)

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

[1]

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَذَرُوا۟ مَا بَقِىَ مِنَ ٱلرِّبَوٰٓا۟ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ * فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا۟ فَأْذَنُوا۟ بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ ۖ وَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَلَكُمْ رُءُوسُ أَمْوَٰلِكُمْ لَا تَظْلِمُونَ وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ (سورة البقرة278-279)

ياأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَأْكُلُوا الرِّبَا أَضْعَافًا مُّضَاعَفَةً ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (سورة آل عمران 130)

عَوْنِ بْنِ أَبِي جُحَيْفَةَ، قَالَ رَأَيْتُ أَبِي اشْتَرَى عَبْدًا حَجَّامًا، فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَقَالَ نَهَى النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ ثَمَنِ الْكَلْبِ، وَثَمَنِ الدَّمِ، وَنَهَى عَنِ الْوَاشِمَةِ وَالْمَوْشُومَةِ، وَآكِلِ الرِّبَا، وَمُوكِلِهِ، وَلَعَنَ الْمُصَوِّرَ‏.(صحيح البخارى 2086)

نظام الفتاوى (ج1 ص183)

احسن الفتاوى (ج7 ص21

Answered by
Ahmed-Ur-Rahmaan Ibn Mufti Mohammed Patel (Rahmatullah Alaih)
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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