Q: I have been dealing and negotiating with the banks and got a credit line (overdraft facility) approved for the company. To get this done I had told many lies to the bank (projections of business). I know that this was wrong and made tawbah to Allah Ta'ala. My question is that the facility comes with an interest cost. Since I had negotiated this with the bank by giving them false information/lies, etc., should I inform the bank about my mistakes? Or is it sufficient to only make tawbah?
A: This entire transaction is haraam in its very nature. Nabi (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) had cursed the consumer of interest and the giver of interest, and all are regarded as identical in the sin. One dirham of interest is worse than fornicating over thirty six times. May Allah Ta'ala protect us all from this curse. When this venture has commenced with the curse of interest, the best thing for you is to return all the interest and cancel the entire transaction. If, for some reason, the transaction cannot be cancelled, then ask Allah Ta'ala's forgiveness in abundance and try your best to get away from this at the first opportunity.
الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَحَلَّ اللَّـهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا فَمَن جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِ فَانتَهَىٰ فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّـهِ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ ﴿البقرة: ٢٧٥﴾
عن جابر رضي الله عنه قال لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا وموكله وكاتبه وشاهديه وقال هم سواء (صحيح مسلم، الرقم: 106)
عن عبد الله بن حنظلة غسيل الملائكة قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم درهم ربا يأكله الرجل وهو يعلم أشد من ستة وثلاثين زنية (سنن الدارقطني، الرقم: 2843)
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