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Is the 9% legal interest rate, which Jordanian courts rule as compensation to the creditor for the debtor's delay in payment, permissible or forbidden?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The legal interest taken from the debtor for delaying the payment of a debt, whether small or large, is the usury (riba) of pre-Islamic ignorance (Jahiliyyah) which is forbidden by the clear text of the Holy Qur'an. Allah Almighty says: "O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of riba, if you should be believers. And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal – [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged. And if there is one in [financial] hardship, then [give him] time until a remarkable ease [comes]. But to give [thereby as charity] is better for you, if you only know." These verses unanimously affirm that it is not permissible for the creditor to take more than what he gave from a debtor who is able to pay, and that a debtor in hardship must be granted respite until he becomes solvent. The prohibition of interest for delaying debt payment is a matter of consensus among scholars.

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

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