Disposing of interest money

Question:

A person has borrowed £5000 from a few family members from one joint account, due to which he is in debt and not liable to pay zakat. At the same time, one of these family members from whom he has borrowed has a personal account in which there is a large sum of interest money that has accrued, and they have made this person responsible to dispose of the interest where and how he sees fit. Would it be permissible for him to take the interest money into his own possession and use it to pay off the £5000 debt? Answer: ِﺑ ْﺴ ِﻢ ا ِﷲ اﻟ ﱠﺮ ْﺣﻤ ِﻦ اﻟ ﱠﺮ ِﺣْﯿﻢ In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Interest money that is accrued must be given as charity, without the intention of seeking reward, to a poor person who is eligible to receive zakah. Hence, if the person who borrowed £5000 is zakat-eligible, the person who possesses the interest money may give it to him as sadaqah without the intention of seeking reward, rather he will intend that he is giving it in order to absolve himself of its responsibility. Afterward, the person who is in debt may use that money to pay off the £5000 debt to his family members. The above-mentioned method of transferring haram (impermissible) wealth MUST be observed. If the person who possesses haram wealth merely hands it over without taking into consideration this protocol, it would not make the money halal (permissible) for the one who receives it. Aap Key Masaail Aur Unkaa Hal: v. 7, p. 322 (Maktaba Ludhyanawi)

Only Allah knows best

Written by Maulana Mohammad Ahsan Osmani Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah Darul Ifta Birmingham