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Is it permissible to take out an interest-bearing loan to pay off debts and avoid imprisonment, given the absence of other alternatives to alleviate financial burdens?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Usury (Riba) is among the gravest sins, incurring war from Allah and His Messenger. Those who deal in it are accursed, and even if their wealth increases through it, their ultimate fate will be scarcity. Therefore, it is impermissible to engage in a usurious loan. The doors to lawful provision are many, and whoever gives up something for the sake of Allah, He will compensate him with something better. It is permissible to deal with a usurious bank if it offers Islamic financing that adheres to Sharia controls when there is a need.

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

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