Q: My friend asked me for a loan of R10 000. He said that he will pay me back the R10 000 after a week. There is no extra amount that I asked him to pay over and above the R10 000. However, since he asked me to eft the amount to him through which my bank will charge me R7, I asked him to pay my bank charges i.e. to pay the R7 which my bank will be charging me to do the eft. Is it permissible for me to take the R7 from him for the eft charge?
A: This is not permissible. By you asking him to pay for your bank charges, you are taking an extra benefit through the loan from him. Hence, this enters under the definition of interest. Therefore, you should refrain from this. If you give him an interest-free loan and you do not ask him to pay for your bank charges, then you will be rewarded by Allah Ta'ala.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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