You only have to pay the original debt

20-11-2010 | IslamWeb

Question:

My family first bought our home from a company which was considered halal by the local masjid to buy from, because they didn't charge an interest rate and they didn't deal with banks. After some years the company was sold to Country Wide, and they started charging us interest, and after that, Country Wide was bought by Bank of America. So basically we are still making payments on the house, but we are now being charged interest. Our financial situation is not the best right now, and we cant leave the house or sell it. Are our payments Haram, considering the fact we had no role in applying or agreeing on the interest to the payments?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

 

You are only obligated to pay the original debt [without paying any interests], so if you are able to avoid paying these unlawful, unjust and forbidden interests, and can find a trick to avoid paying it, then it is permissible for you to do so. But if you are not able to do so and you are forced to pay it by law, then, in this case, you are not sinful in paying it without choosing to do so, and the sin falls on the one who forces you to do so. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 86136 and 86521.

Allaah Knows best.