What is the ruling of Islamic law regarding a housing loan from a public financial institution at an interest rate of 2.5% for a period of 20 years? Is this rate considered usury (riba) or administrative costs for processing the application?
In Islam, a loan (qard) is a contract of benevolence intended for charity, not for gaining a benefit. If a loan leads to a benefit for the lender, then it is forbidden usury (riba), and the rule "Every loan that draws a benefit is usury" applies to it. Changing the name of interest to something else does not alter its reality as usury, for what matters are the meanings, not the words. Naming something forbidden with a permissible name is a deception against the Sacred Law. Indeed, the Jews were cursed for their deception in selling the fats that were forbidden to them. Therefore, it is not permissible to take a loan with interest, no matter how small or under any other name, because it is usury.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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