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Fatwa CenterWants to use interest money to pay his unjust sponsorship fees
Question
As salamualequm Sir I know Interest (Ribaah) is haram in Islam and having an account in the bank which gives interest is haram, but I am an Indian national living in Jeddah, KSA and India it’s difficult to find an Islamic bank. I have some interest amount in my bank every time I used to give the interest money to the poor people but this is not my question. My question is as I said I am living in Saudi Arabia working in Jeddah and from last 5 years I am facing my sponsorship problem and in every 2 years I have to renew my Iqama (work permit) and every 2 years I already spent lot of money Right now where I am working they continuously fail to transfer my sponsorship so to renew my iqama I have to pay almost 5000 Saudi riyal, but now my old sponsor said that this time they are not going to renew my work permit else I have to leave the kingdom, but right now where I am working they are saying they will change my sponsorship but it will cost me around 7000 Saudi riyals , the government fees is 2000 riyal to change the sponsorship and 7000 SR is a big amount, I have to pay such a big amount and here most of the scholars saying this extra money is haram for them who is charging So my question is can I use the interest haram amount which I am having in my Indian account which is equivalent to 1000 Sr and remaining amount I can pay from my pocket I hope I had clear my points waiting for your prompt response
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.
We have already issued Fataawa 90054 and 88694 clarifying that it is forbidden to open an account in a bank that deals with Riba (interest and/or usury) except in case of necessity, like when there is no Islamic alternative while being in need of saving the money and fearing to lose it; however, necessity should be valued according to its proper value.
In case of need, one may open an account without interest, and if there is any interest, then one must get rid of it by spending it on the general welfare of the Muslims and giving it to the poor and needy. As for benefiting from it in paying the sponsorship fees or part of it, then this is not permissible because a person is not permitted to benefit from such money for his own use or to pay back his debts; rather, even if he is wronged, he is not permitted to repel injustice from himself with it because by doing so he is benefiting from it and keeping his own money, so this is not permissible unless the account owner is poor, in which case, he is permitted to take from it according to his need only.
Allaah Knows best.
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