Fatwa: # 15859
Category: Business Matters
Country: South Africa
Date: 18th November 2007

Title

Can i use interest to pay my childrens fees?

Question

Please advise if I am able to use interest monies to pay for my childrens' education? I was previously advised that the interest monies may be used to build toilets, pay traffic fines or be given to a non muslim however I have heard that the monies may be used to pay for childrens' education. Please advise

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh

Interest money should be disposed off by giving it away to the poor and needy. If you are poor and needy and you are a legitimate recipient of zakat, then you also qualify as a recipient of interest monies. You may use the monies to fulfill your needs.

And Allah knows best

Wassalam

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa

DISCLAIMER - AskImam.org questions
AskImam.org answers issues pertaining to Shar'ah. Thereafter, these questions and answers are placed for public view on www.askimam.org for educational purposes. However, many of these answers are unique to a particular scenario and cannot be taken as a basis to establish a ruling in another situation or another environment. Askimam.org bears no responsibility with regards to these questions being used out of their intended context.
  • The Shar's ruling herein given is based specifically on the question posed and should be read in conjunction with the question.
  • AskImam.org bears no responsibility to any party who may or may not act on this answer and is being hereby exempted from loss or damage howsoever caused.
  • This answer may not be used as evidence in any Court of Law without prior written consent of AskImam.org.
  • Any or all links provided in our emails, answers and articles are restricted to the specific material being cited. Such referencing should not be taken as an endorsement of other contents of that website.
The Messenger of Allah said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of Deen."
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]