❖ Question:
Is it permissible in Islam to use interest-based (ribā) income for personal tasks, especially if it involves paying a bribe?
❖ Answer by: Fadīlat al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakīl Nāṣir ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ ① Sharʿī Ruling on Interest (Ribā) Income
◉ If interest is deliberately earned—such as through saving accounts or ribā-based investments—then:
- ✔ Earning and benefiting from such money is explicitly ḥarām (forbidden).
- ✔ Using this money for unlawful actions like bribery adds to the sin and severity.
One becomes doubly cursed: for earning interest and using it for another sin.
The Prophet ﷺ cursed the one who consumes, gives, writes, and witnesses ribā. (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
❖ ② If Ribā Money Is Received Unknowingly
✔ In case someone receives ribā unintentionally, e.g., through a bank deposit or unknown transaction:
- The person must dispose of the money.
- However, it is not allowed to waste or destroy it (e.g., burning or discarding), as destroying wealth is also prohibited in Islam.
- ✔ The correct method is to spend it in public welfare (like repairing roads, toilets, giving to the poor)—without the intention of reward.
❖ ③ Bribery Using Interest Money: A Double Sin
◉ Bribery (رشوت) in Islam is strictly forbidden.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah has cursed the one who gives bribes and the one who takes them.”
(Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī)
✘ Using ḥarām money (like ribā) to commit another ḥarām act (bribery) is equivalent to compounding two curses.
✔ In exceptional, dire situations (i.e., when one’s fundamental rights are denied and no other path remains), scholars may permit giving a bribe—but:
- It must be from ḥalāl wealth only.
- Interest money is not permissible even in such emergencies.
❖ ④ Prohibition on Personal Use of Ribā
✔ Using interest-based money for personal benefit, including:
- Bribery
- Paying personal dues
- Fulfilling individual needs
✘ is absolutely forbidden.
✔ Instead, it must be:
- Spent in neutral or communal benefit,
- With no intention of reward or personal gain.
❖ Summary
Interest income is haram and must not be used for any personal purposes. Giving a bribe is also haram, and combining both (ribā + bribery) leads to double sin.✔ The only correct way to dispose of such wealth is by spending it in welfare causes without seeking reward.
✘ Using it for personal matters like bribery, even in urgent circumstances, is not permissible.
Conclusion:
Muslims are commanded to purify their wealth and refrain from combining one evil with another.
The use of ribā-based income for personal purposes, especially for bribery, is a serious violation in Islamic law.
The proper course is to dispose of such funds through charitable means, seeking Allah’s forgiveness and remaining firm on earning only ḥalāl income.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
And Allah knows best and is Most Correct in Judgment.
