Fatwa: # 15789
Category: Business Matters
Country: United States
Date: 31st October 2007

Title

It is allowed to work as appraiser.??

Question

It is allowed to work as appraiser.

            I want to start property appraiser business. The appraiser is necessary to get the loan for house. Is it allowed? I will not be dealing with any interest and will not get any commission from any interest but to get loan the mortgage companies require the appraiser of the property. Please help me. Jazzak Allah.

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh

It is not permissible to obtain an interest bearing loan for his client even though he himself will not be receiving any commission from the interest bearing loan.

 

Interest is expressly prohibited in the Quran and Ahadith. It is also prohibited to be an active party in an interest bearing loan. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, “Allah’s curse is on the giver of interest, on the receiver of interest, on the writer of interest and on the witnesses of interest”.

It is clear from the above mentioned hadith that the writer or witnesses may not be the giver or receiver of interest, they are merely writing down and witnessing the actual transaction. However, their active participation in an interest bearing deal is still condemned and prohibited. The appraiser will also be required to actively engage in obtaining the interest bearing loan which is similar to the witness witnessing the interest bearing loan.

And Allah knows best

Wassalam

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa

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