When is a loan [of an object] recommended? When is it obligatory? And when is it forbidden?

Ariya (loan) is: the temporary transfer of usufruct without compensation, or permitting the use of something while its substance remains, so that the beneficiary returns it to its owner.

Its ruling: It is considered mustahabb (recommended) by the majority of jurists, and it may become wajib (obligatory) in some cases, especially if a needy person is compelled to it and the owner is not in need of this usufruct. This is the view adopted by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, based on the Almighty's saying: "And they withhold [even] small items of aid" (Quran 107:7), and prophetic ahadith confirming this, such as the Prophet's (PBUH) saying: "Among the rights of camels is the loan of their bucket and the striking of their stallion."

Ariya becomes haram (forbidden) if it leads to the neglect of an obligation, or falling into a corruption that outweighs its intended benefit, or if it involves an infringement upon the rights of others or the rights of Allah.