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What is the ruling on usurious money found in a bank account opened for a person when they were young, which accumulated over the years, and then the person embraced Islam and refused to take this money? And how can it be disposed of: by spending it on poor Muslims or on public interests for Muslims?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a father deposited usurious money in his son's name before the son embraced Islam, the son is not obligated to return it, and it is permissible to benefit from it, because "Islam nullifies what came before it." As for the usurious gains that accrued after his conversion to Islam and his knowledge of their prohibition, he must dispose of them by giving them to the poor and needy, or for the general welfare of Muslims. It is permissible for a poor person to take from it what suffices his need. And the money must be withdrawn from the usurious bank, unless the person is compelled to keep it there and cannot find an Islamic bank, in which case he may deposit it in a current account.

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

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