a perpetual treaty, and this is impermissible; an open-ended treaty, which—according to the stronger opinion—is permissible; and a fixed-term treaty, which is likewise permissible. Those who allow the last type then differ: may its term exceed ten years or not? The sounder view is that it may, for the ruling is tied to need.
He then said, “and consuming riba.” Consuming riba is also among the deadly sins. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH) remarked: “The threat reported concerning riba is unmatched by that for any sin other than shirk; it is truly grave—may Allah protect us.” Allah even says in His Book: “O you who believe, fear Allah and give up what remains of riba, if you are true believers. But if you do not, then be warned of a war from Allah and His Messenger. Yet if you repent, you may have your principal; do not wrong others, and you will not be wronged” (Q 2:278-279).
Thus Allah makes it clear that whoever refuses to abandon riba has declared war on Allah and His Messenger—“be warned of a war from Allah and His Messenger”—and that, if he repents, he must not take more than his capital: “you may have your principal; do not wrong and you will not be wronged.”
Some people, however, have fancied a view that clashes with the Law of Allah. They claim that if a person deposits—indeed, entrusts—his wealth to those who deal in riba, it is permissible for him to receive the interest and then give it away in charity in order to rid himself of it. This opinion contradicts the Qurʾan, for Allah says, “and if you repent, you may have your principal; do not wrong and you will not be wronged.”
Their rationale is: “If we leave the interest with the banks, they will use it to build churches or to help the unbelievers fight the Muslims,” and similar statements with which they oppose the explicit text. We answer them:
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This so-called profit never enters the owner’s estate in the first place, so we cannot call leaving it a donation to the bank; from the outset it was never his. The money he deposited may be used by the bank to buy goods or invest in projects and might even incur loss, so the increment is not growth of his property; it is a pure surplus handed over by the bank to whoever supplied the capital.
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Who has said that the banks necessarily channel it into churches or weapons against Muslims?
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Even supposing they did, would our taking the money stop them from fighting the Muslims or leading them astray?
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Saying, “Take it and give it in charity,” is like saying, “Soil your hands with impurity and then try to wash them.” What benefit is there in taking it only to give it away? Leave it from the outset and you will be safe.
Moreover, if we permit this and someone actually takes the money, can he guarantee that he will muster the resolve to give it away—especially if the sum is large? He may take it with that intention, yet his soul overcomes him and he consumes it, whether the first time, the second, or the third.
Likewise, if we say, “Take it and donate it,” and he takes it in front of people, who among them knows that he truly gave it in charity? They have no idea and might imitate him, themselves consuming riba.
Further, if we allow this, we shall persist in riba, it will become easy for us, and we will continue to accept it. But if we prohibit it, we will be safe from it on one front and compelled to seek lawful transactions that conform to the religion—such as establishing Islamic banks free of riba.
The foremost rebuttal to this supposedly “good” yet unsound opinion is that it clashes with the verse “and if you repent, you may have your principal; do not wrong and you will not be wronged.” No human reasoning is admissible when a clear text exists. Anything your mind finds attractive while it contradicts the text is not good but evil, and its outcome is evil. Do not look only at the immediate result; look at the final outcome. Everything that contradicts the Sacred Law will, without doubt, end badly, for Allah says, “The good end is for the God-fearing” (Q 7:128). This shows that whoever is not God-fearing will not have a praiseworthy or pleasant end.
So let no fanciful embellishment based on conjecture deceive you; cling to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ and do not overstep them if you desire blessing, goodness, and that your body be nourished upon obedience to Allah.
In short, consuming riba is one of the destructive sins. Riba occurs in six categories, which the Prophet ﷺ set out when he said: “Gold for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley….”