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Is it permissible for my husband to help his brother acquire an apartment in my husband's name, and then for my husband to relinquish it to his brother in exchange for a sum of money, knowing that the brother has previously benefited from housing and is legally prohibited from benefiting again, and that my husband has not benefited before? And what is the ruling on the sum of money that my husband will receive? And is my husband considered complicit in usurious dealings if obtaining the apartment requires dealing with usurious banks, knowing that the apartment will be acquired in my husband's name?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If the brother-in-law's acquisition of the apartment necessitates dealing with usurious loans, then it is not permissible for your husband to help him, because it falls under cooperation in sin and transgression. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) "cursed the one who consumes Riba (usury), its payer, its writer, and its two witnesses, and he said: 'They are all equal (in sin).'" However, if the assistance does not involve usurious dealings, the law prohibits an individual from obtaining a new apartment if they have already acquired one. "Muslims are bound by their conditions." Therefore, it is not permissible to resort to fraud to purchase the apartment in the manner mentioned, and assisting in it or receiving payment for it is forbidden.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy