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Is it permissible to pay zakat on money deposited in a usurious bank from its interest? And is zakat obligatory on money a person has lent to another?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is forbidden to deposit money in an interest-based bank except in cases of extreme necessity and if no Islamic bank is available. Usurious interest is forbidden money that must be disposed of by spending it on the general welfare of Muslims. Disbursing this interest as zakat is not sufficient according to some scholars, and the more cautious view is that it is not sufficient. Therefore, zakat for past years must be paid. As for debts owed by others, zakat is due on them every year if the debtor is solvent and not procrastinating. However, if the debtor is procrastinating, insolvent, or the debt is deferred, it is permissible to delay paying zakat until the money is received, and then zakat is paid for all past years.

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

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