Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera – Student Loans Halal or Haram, Any Alternatives
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The speakers discuss the importance of student loans and professional help in studying, as well as the need for education and working at home to improve chances of finding employment. They suggest avoiding confusion surrounding job opportunities and the need for individuals to make money. A recent poll suggests Muslims are trying to lobby for a system conducive to Islamic finance, but the community is urged to start working at home and ensure people are aware of the consequences of not having enough money. scholarships for those who contribute to the community are suggested.
AI: Summary ©
Bismillah
Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim hamdulillah Salatu was Salam ala
see even more serene while early he also he he married unmarried.
I think it's very important to speak about student loans. It's a
question that I'm been receiving I'm sure many other orlimar have
been receiving this over and over again. And there's been a lot of
reaction to it. Because it's a need of the time, you know, we've
got many youngsters, many young people who want to go and study
because studying is something good. We need professionals in
this country. And we can't discount that fact. You know, I
would really encourage that those who have the ability to study they
should do because, and do it with the right intention. However, the
question is about funding, I mean, the pricing, or the fees went up
from about three or 4000 to 9000, which is exorbitant, it's it's
essentially it puts it beyond many people's means. And that's why we
definitely need to try to have that changed in some way or the
other. But while it is the way it is, the current system, which I've
actually clarified with two great scholars, one is the Mufti of
one is, one is my teacher, the Mufti in Santa Paula, I talked to
him about it. And we couldn't find any permissibility. Because at the
end of the day, you're entering into a contract which is made
between yourself, and and the funding body, whoever that is that
as soon as you start taking that as soon as you take that loan,
although you will be paid to the university, and you can't take it
and just spend it as you want. It has to go to the university, it's
still you're assuming the liability for it. So to say that
it's just going directly to somebody else, right? What are you
signing off on at the end of the day? So you have to realize that
there are there is this issue here that you're the one who is
assuming liability for it, because eventually you're the one who's
going to have to pay it so that you can't circumvent that problem.
So it's coming, it's your you're assuming it, the interest start
straightaway, although you don't have to pay it, but it starts
accruing straightaway. So one of the strategies that I have thought
about was that in the years that you need to take the loan of three
years or four years of your study, in that time, work and save up
money and everything like that. And then as soon as you finish
before the interest kicks in, you can pay it off. But then I
realized that no, the actual interest, interest starts accruing
straightaway, even though you don't have to pay it. Now they do
say that you're not going to pay it until you start making 21,000.
So I've had questions from people who say, I don't want a job
afterwards. I'm just doing this for the knowledge. So my thing is
that why are you putting yourself into this kind of a bind, because
you have to realize that there's many other diploma courses and
other other courses that are much cheaper, $1,000 5000 pounds, 1500
pounds, etc. That will teach you things. And there's other ways of
learning. In fact, there's many free ways of learning. Now
universities are going online, American, many universities Gone,
gone online, even UK recently, they've launched online and those
classes actually for free. So if it's just for education, you've
got many other places, Khan Academy, we have some level,
there's many others as well, that you can go and get free education.
There's a lot of education out there, that's for free nowadays,
right? So for you to put yourself into this kind of a bind, and
assume this liability. Firstly, I can't understand why somebody is
going to go into this and say, I'm not going to work. If you if
you're gonna go to study, I'm assuming that you want to make
more money. That's why otherwise you can get any kind of menial
job, right? So why would you go to study and then not want to work
afterwards? What what happens if you had to work? If you're forced
to work, then you'd have to, you'd be forced to pay the interest as
well. So you're still assuming that responsibility at the end of
the day, the problem here The difficulty here is the fact that
it's interest. And the two things which ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada has
not just called haram or not just called a cursed, and not just said
it's bad, but has actually said that he declares he declares war
against and one of them is interest. And the other one is to
trouble one of the worry of Allah subhanaw taala is if Allah has
gone to this level to explain this, then you can imagine how far
away we need to be from this. That's why I'm, you know, I have
to be passionate about this, because that's what it is. And I
have to just say, No, the other person I could clarify this. And
this was a this was a this was with Mufti Taqi with money when he
came two years ago. Right. And then we were sitting in Leicester,
and there were a number of other movies there. Mufti Mohammed,
Abdullah Adam was there Kofi Mufti Zubair, but was there from
Bradford. And there are a number of other alumni there, I believe
mon Abderrahim Lynparza. My my teacher was there as well. And I
asked him this question. He said, No, it's not permissible. Right.
So I'm not saying this on my own behalf. However, then we did learn
from off this way he did say and recently there has been this poll
that's going around where the there are some lobbies that are
trying to Muslims that are trying to lobby the government for a
system that will be conducive to Islamic finance, the halal Halal
way of doing things. So there is this poll on right now, right,
which we should we should definitely take part in. Now.
Having said that, right now, if somebody wants to go to university
and somebody's already done it, they need to make doba right,
those people who are considering I'm going to tell you It's haram
because
I can't, you know, I can't give you a photo of permissibility and
assume that responsibility. So what should you do? I mean, we
need to find a way out of this. So until the government hopefully
Insha Allah, may Allah subhanaw taala make them change their
model. But until that happens, what do you do? Well, essentially
you borrow from others, right? You borrow from others. Number two,
you would be liable for a cut you Sorry, you will be entitled to the
car. Because if you don't have any money, you don't have enough money
to spend. You don't have enough money to pay, right, which means
that whatever amount of money you have, it has to go towards it and
you're zero, you're in debt for the rest of the fees because you
have to give them in installments, then you are liable for zakat. So
you can accept zakat money if you are entitled to Zakat, and I think
as a community as a whole, and I've mentioned this on eBay, as
well, we're sending huge amounts of money, our zakat, Lilla, and
other funds were sending contributions to other countries.
And I think we need to start working at home, I really think we
need to start working at home. Because yes, it's good to help
people in other places as well, that maybe not as well off as us
and that new things. But at the end of the day, this is for the
survival of the Muslims and for them to increase their heritage in
this country and to have professionalism and professionals
and academics in this country is very important as well. So I think
as a Muslim community, we need to think about this, we need to have
scholarship programs, there is a lot of money in this country,
right? The government gives a good 25% Gift Aid contribution as well.
That means every 100 pound that somebody's giving, they're getting
125, the charity is going to get 125 that means if they're
receiving 1000 pounds, they're going to end up with 1250. That
means on every 4000 pounds that they're receiving, they're getting
an extra 1000 pounds for every 4000 They're receiving 5000 That's
amazing, right? In America, it's different in America, the person
who's giving, he gets that much back according to how much how
much taxes he pays. So if you pay 20% tax in America, and you give a
contribution to a charity, you get 20% back, not the charity, but in
England, the charity gets it. So the charity is laughing all the
way. So we need to really, really strategize in this regard and
really be thinking about our people at home. Right? And, yes,
we can still send, you know, help others out there. But we need to
help our people, we need to say that because we owe it to us, and
especially to our children and grandchildren, that we need to set
up this kind of thing. So we can have decent sufficient
professionals in this country who go and study. This is not just for
universities, we've got
I am adding courses, you know training
to make people Imams and Allah ma
the students in these programs, we don't have the money, they have to
literally go by contributions. So we have this issue in this country
don't think there's no poverty in this country. There is there is
just because we got a bit of disposable income where we get our
daily bread, it means we got everything we don't, we need to
really think about this. So make lots of dua to Allah subhanho wa
Taala that Allah bring about a change in the system, we need to
lobby for it because until we don't, nobody is going to speak on
our behalf number one, number two,
get loans from your family and friends, and then work and number
three zakat. That's what the card is for your poor you can accept
the card that's what it is take the money from the rich give it to
the poor, and we as a community need to be concerned about that
about trying to set up some kind of scholarship on May Allah
subhanaw taala give us a trophy Welcome to Darwin hamdulillahi
rabbil aalameen