Does donating bank interest monthly avoid the suspicion of usury, and is it permissible to give charity from money whose permissibility is doubtful?
The interest should be called "riba" (usury) because it is the correct name for banking transactions. The Prophet, peace be upon him, warned against changing the names of forbidden things to make them permissible. It is not permissible to deposit money in usurious banks because it is assisting in disobedience to Allah and waging war against Him, as Allah, the Most High, says: "And if you do not, then be informed of a war from Allah and His Messenger." It is not permissible to justify dealing with usury by donating it later, for it is ill-gotten wealth that Allah does not accept, and its owner and heirs may be held accountable for it. The only exception for permissible deposit is in cases of extreme necessity to preserve money when there is no safe alternative. In this case, the usury must be disposed of by allocating it to the public welfare of Muslims.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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