The Official Website of the Office of His Eminence Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Husseini Al-Sistani

Question & Answer » Mortgage

1 Question: Living in Canada is very difficult to avoid mortgage. What is Islamic law about mortgaging a house in Canada?
Answer: You can receive the money not with the intention of borrowing it.
sistani.org/15017
2 Question: Banks in the West give loans —known as mortgage— to those who do not have enough money to buy houses; this is to be paid back in [weekly or monthly] instalments with a high rate of interest. Is a Muslim allowed to use this facility?
If it is not permissible, is there a solution in your view for someone who claims that he needs the mortgage to buy his own residential house and does not possess enough money to pay for it?
Answer: It is permissible to take the money from the bank that is financed by non-Muslim government or private funds but not with the intention of loan. The knowledge that the bank will sooner or later force him to pay the capital as well as the interest does not affect [the lawfulness of] his taking the money.
sistani.org/15020
Click here to post a new question
العربية فارسی اردو English Azərbaycan Türkçe Français