Is Bonus Money From a Company Usury (Riba)?

Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas

Question: Some time back I signed up for an online design website. I paid a designer to make a logo and then when I received a logo the website sent me an email giving me a £5 bonus as I am a new member. I have not used that money and now I am planning to look for a designer for a new project at that same website and I am wondering if it’s permissible for me to do so? And is that bonus money permissible to use?

Answer: Assalamu alaykum

This would not be considered riba (usury/interest). Rather, it would be legally viewed as a gift from the company/website, which is permissible for you to take.

The elements that constitute interest are not present in the above transaction, such as a loan, a stipulated amount on top of the principal, and so forth. Thus, it does not relate to the issue of interest.

Wassalam,
[Ustadh] Salman Younas

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Salman Younas graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Political Science and Religious Studies. After studying the Islamic sciences online and with local scholars in New York, Ustadh Salman moved to Amman. There he studies Islamic law, legal methodology, belief, hadith methodology, logic, Arabic, and tafsir.