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Ruling on Money Exchange

Question

Is money changing Haram or Halal?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

If by changing money you mean selling a currency against another currency, then it is permissible with two conditions:

First, this transaction should be hand to hand between two parties (i.e. the seller and the buyer of the currency) at the same place where the sale contract is carried out. Or at least what can be a substitute to the receiving of the money should be carried out at the same place such as transferring the liable money into the account of each of the two parties.

Second, if the currency of a country is sold out against the same currency such as exchanging the Dollars of a country against the Dollars of the same country, the exact equivalence of the amount should be considered between them.

If the sold currency varies from the bought currency as each one belongs to different countries, they may be exchanged unequally since the value of every currency differs from the other currency. One may change Dollars to Riyals and receive more or less than what he gives, but the transaction should be completed in the same place.

For more benefit on exchanging money, please refer to Fataawa 123193, 83740, 94389 and 87385.

Allah knows best.

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