سوال

  Question: I wanted to ask around the permissibility of Student Loans in the UK. Many Islamic organizations advocate the fact that Student Loans taken in the UK, to gain further education are not allowed due to the involvement of interest.

I would like to understand the reasoning that supports this stance.

My understanding: Student Loans in the UK is a means of financial support from the Government to the public. It is designed to help the youth to further their education and gain more skills.

The loan is not repayable unless a predefined income threshold is met. Thereafter, the payments are dedicated on a rising scale.

The government uses the word interest to specify that benefit scheme as there is no other suitable word. ‘Interest’ is used in many contexts with different meanings.There are no loans in the world that do not require repayment until a certain income threshold is met. This, by definition, shows that Student Loans are not a regular loan, rather a benefit scheme.

Riba is a profit that is limited to one person/company and money made from within. On the contrary, income from student loan repayments are shared and distributed to the society.

اَلجَوَابْ بِاسْمِ مُلْہِمِ الصَّوَابْ

In the UK, students are given a loan in the name of a student loan, if it is a loan, which can be repaid later with interest, then it will be invalid because it contains interest.

And if there is no regular loan, but it is given by the university as a scholarship and the students return the same amount and only the name of the “student loan” is used, but interest or any extra money is not paid, then it will be halal to get this amount. Yes, if it is believed and conformed that the amount of Scholarship loan is completely from Haram Mall then this amount will not be allowed and it will be necessary to avoid it.

The reality of interest is that it is any additional amount taken on the loan whether it is intended to make money or not, therefore in the case in question, the loan will also be called interest and it will be necessary to avoid it.واللہ سبحانہ وتعالی اعلم

حوالہ جات

 "رد المحتار" 20 / 383:

( وما ) يصح و( لا يبطل بالشرط الفاسد ) لعدم المعاوضة المالية سبعة وعشرون ما عده المصنف تبعا للعيني وزدت ثمانية ( القرض والهبة والصدقة والنكاح۔

"حاشية رد المحتار " 5 / 380:

قوله:(والهبة والصدقة)كوهبتك هذه المائة أوتصدقت عليك بهاعلى أن تخدمني سنةنهر۔فتصح ويبطل الشرط لانه فاسد۔

"ردالمحتارعلی الدرالمختار" 20/93

: کل قرض جرنفعافہوحرام ای اذاکان مشروطا۔

محمدبن عبدالرحیم

دارالافتاءجامعۃالرشیدکراچی

30/جمادی الاولی   1443 ھج

واللہ سبحانہ وتعالی اعلم