Is it permissible to take out an interest-bearing loan from a bank to buy a house in a foreign country, if its installment is less than the rent currently being paid, or if the bank buys the house and sells it to me in installments with the house itself as collateral?

It is not permissible for a Muslim to take out an interest-bearing loan to buy a house, except in cases of extreme and rare necessity, because usury is forbidden and is one of the major sins. Allah has threatened those who consume it with war, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the one who consumes it, the one who feeds it, its scribe, and its two witnesses. As for the bank selling the house in installments at a higher price than it bought it for, there is no harm in that, provided that the price is fixed and not increased if payment is delayed. It is permissible for the bank to mortgage the house to secure its right in case of inability to pay, but it is not permissible to stipulate that the bank owns the house upon default.