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DONATE RIBA

LAST UPDATED: October 2026

What should you do with interest money?

“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)
01Riba is forbidden

Islam forbids interest (Riba), both receiving and paying it.

02It builds up anyway

Many of us can end up accumulating interest through our bank accounts even if we don’t want it.

03Give it to charity

Since it is not permissible to use 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.

How will your donation be used?

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 
A smiling woman holds her child beside an Islamic Relief water point in Niger.

Charity, not Zakat

Interest money can be given to charity, but it cannot be counted as Zakat.

Charity: yes

Can you give interest money to charity?

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.

Zakat: no

Can Riba be spent as Zakat?

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.