Question:
Shopkeepers who, when withdrawing money from a JazzCash or Easypaisa account, take an extra twenty rupees on every thousand rupees: under the Shariah, which category does this practice fall into?
Answer
If a shopkeeper provides this service through facilities such as JazzCash, Easypaisa or MobiCash and takes some amount in return, then this transaction is permissible.
In this, the shopkeeper gives time and provides convenience, and each shopkeeper’s fee may differ; one takes less and another takes more.
Therefore, in this case, if he takes a wage for providing the facility, there is no harm in it.
Question:
Shopkeepers who do JazzCash or Easypaisa take 10 or 20 rupees per thousand rupees. Is it permissible to take this?
Answer
If a shopkeeper takes an extra amount for transferring money through JazzCash or Easypaisa, then it must be seen on what basis this extra amount is being taken.
If this amount is being taken as a wage for his services, i.e. it is a fixed fee, then it is permissible.
But if this amount is a condition of an increase on a loan, i.e. the shopkeeper gives a loan and on repayment takes an increase on it, then this falls under riba (usury) and it is haram.
Clarification:
Questioner: Respected Shaykh, what kind of loan transaction is this? If you know, please explain; otherwise we think he only takes a wage for his service. And if he doesn’t take even that, what benefit would he get from this service?
Answer
Sometimes a loan transaction is also involved in this.
A person who works as a JazzCash agent told me:
“I wanted to send money to someone, but at that time I did not have the money with me. So I told the shopkeeper to send the money now, and I would repay him after a week or after some time.”
In this case, the shopkeeper gave a loan and made an extra amount a condition on it, so it falls under riba and it is haram.
Summary:
If the shopkeeper takes a fixed service fee for transferring money through JazzCash or Easypaisa, then it is permissible.
But if the shopkeeper gives a loan and makes an extra amount a condition on it, then this counts as riba, and this practice is impermissible and haram.
