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What is the ruling on getting rid of usurious money of a variable amount that was deposited in a usurious bank without its owner's knowledge, and the depositor disposed of it through zakat and investment, and is it possible to pay out the unknown amount of it in monthly installments?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

"Placing money in an interest-based (usurious) bank and taking interest from it is forbidden and considered one of the major sins. The sin of usury applies to the one who deposits the money, unless the parent permits its placement, in which case their liability is absolved. The interest generated from this money is ill-gotten and not owned by anyone. It must be spent on charitable causes and for the general welfare of Muslims. The questioner must donate an amount equivalent to what they consumed from these interests to charitable causes. If the exact amount is unknown, they should donate what they predominantly believe it to be. If they are wealthy and cannot donate it all at once, they should donate it whenever they are able. As for the poor, this is not required of them. The interest that the questioner paid to the heirs must be demanded back from them because it is not part of the inheritance, and then it should be spent in its legitimate channels."

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

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