# Why isn't bank interest riba? *Why bank interest is not riba: what is riba anyway?* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/kwmtt2tqao0/s/4/ - Date: 2020-08-24 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #179 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (14:40–21:17) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWmtt2TQAO0&t=880s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/kwmtt2tqao0/ **Topics:** Riba, mortgages and loans **Question as asked:** Why don't you think bank interest is riba? **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth holds that today's bank interest is not the riba the Quran addresses, arguing that the usual definition of riba as 'something extra' does not hold together. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the Quran does not address interest today as riba. **Evidence, his words at 15:56:** “the quran does not address interest today to be ripper the question isn't why don't i think this interest is very bad” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWmtt2TQAO0&t=956s) ## Longer summary A chat question asks why Mufti Abu Layth does not think bank interest is riba. He refers the questioner to his detailed video of about 45 minutes and gives a summary: the Quran does not address today's interest as riba, and the real question is why anyone thinks it is. Riba means something extra, yet trading one phone for two identical phones, one house for two or one car for three is not riba in Islam, and neighbours returning a slightly different amount of borrowed sugar or flour is not either. He cites the hadith of the estimator of dates on the tree [?], under which a margin of error of up to a third is allowed, and says the hadith actually stresses products rather than money, then appoints a chat moderator. ## Sources and names cited - riba - khars (estimating dates on the tree) [?] ## Transcript (machine tier, 14:40–21:17) [14:00] got a bit blurry ah that's better right so then you might as well just pack up sharp and i don't know you might as well just open a fish and chip shop basically what you're saying is i've never had leadership qualities ever in my islamic profession i am nothing but a follower and as humble as that may sound it just you know it's a complete disservice to people their own training and profession so i [14:40] feel sometimes look tikka everybody has to blag a little bit you know keep it cool man keep it cool so right let's take a look at some questions what is going on samuel e man you're doing it with the super chat is that you though is that you must do do you oh no that's a different question he sends a super chat i'm reading somebody else's question why don't you think bank interest is riba [15:18] well sami that is a good question why man what to say man look i've got a very detailed video i'm not gonna do it justice right now um watch my video i'll say something in summary but watch my video it's about 45 minutes or something so you'll get an explanation by the end of that if you search riba mortgages loans keywords it'll come up now [15:56] the quran does not address interest today to be ripper the question isn't why don't i think this interest is very bad the real question is why do you think it is because when you start to look into it you start to realize well where does your definition of rebar actually come from and it's incredibly confusing the moment you begin riba in essence just means something extra you know so allah says that this that this it will [16:36] something just to increase something that ribba in arabic now really that would mean giving anything extra would be haram but then you realize oh in islam it actually doesn't work like that you know i could i could swap you one phone for two phones identical this is what is this s10 i could give you an s10 for two s10s is that now river no party in islam say riba [17:16] i could give you one house for two houses one car for three cars ah this one big problem so the question is hmm what is rebar you say oh but it's for the same product you got me but then i say okay in that case if i borrow some sugar from you today as a neighbor you know those people remember those people who don't do this are no [17:54] good so if i borrow some flour from you or some as neighbors do some especially in rural parts of the world or borrow some sugar tomorrow i just return a certain amount of sugar i take some i say i'm gonna return it so i take two scoops let's say whatever that is tomorrow i give some scoops are they the same amount [Laughter] [18:40] the question is then is why is that not revised now the same same thing we're talking about same product um food as well you might say oh but reba okay what if it's to do with dates [Music] then i say to you okay but what about the hadith of the uh of the harass you say what's that and where the person uh comes to the prophet the harassum the people who would estimate so they would say so you've got a bunch [19:20] of dates you need them to be sold today but you you know you've got more in the trees uh date trees but you haven't got the time to take them off so you say to someone look i'll tell you what you just do a quick trade how about these baskets of dates for you know you you give me these you can take mine on the trees now the question is that's permissible wait wait a bit extra bit extra what do the [ __ ] say up to an entire [19:59] third can be off so you have a margin of error for up to 33 percent [Laughter] big problems [Laughter] i want to know you know here everything seems to be permissible [Laughter] so river is just on money [Music] [20:38] [Laughter] ah and the irony is the hadith actually doesn't it's stressing that it's not on money it's more on the products anyway watch my video hope that helps right people right inaudible much appreciated for saying uh those people tuning in this is why yeah i should make let me there you go here there you go look at that it has been upgraded ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment KWmtt2TQAO0/s/4. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/kwmtt2tqao0/s/4/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.