Donate Interest money (riba)

“O you who believe! Fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be true believers.”  (Qur’an 2:278)

Islam forbids interest (Riba), both receiving and paying it. Many of us can end up accumulating interest through our bank accounts even if we don’t want it, so what should we do with interest money? 

Since it is not permissible to utilize interest for one’s own benefit, one should give it to charity in a way that does not provide them with any spiritual benefits. Although there is no religious reward for doing so, it at least disposes of the haram funds in a shariah-compliant way.

Any donation of interest money through this page will be used to support any projects that fall under Islamic Relief Canada’s Sadaqah Jariyah fund, reaching rights-holders in most urgent need of aid.  

Our Sadaqah Jariyah projects include: 

• Rehabilitating water systems, schools, libraries, and sanitation facilities 
• Education support and materials 
• Climate-resilient farming support 
• Increasing food security for vulnerable households 

An acceptable way for Muslims to spend interest (Riba) is to donate it to charity without expecting any reward from Allah. Although you will not receive rewards for doing so, donating Riba to a charitable cause will cleanse your wealth and allow you to dispose of the haram Riba in a way that benefits others.

Interest money may be donated to charity, but it cannot be spent as Zakat. When you donate Zakat, it is done out of a religious obligation under the third pillar of Islam. Making a Zakat donation comes with barakah, and in the case of someone who donates their interest money, there is no reward for that action. 

Instead, a person who donates their accumulated interest to charity can do so as Sadaqah. However, one should do so without intending or expecting to receive any reward for it as that money was not permissible for them in the first place.