[23] عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ أَتَى رَجُلٌ أَبِي فَقَالَ إِنِّي وَرِثْتُ مَالًا وَ قَدْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ صَاحِبَهُ الَّذِي وَرِثْتُهُ مِنْهُ قَدْ كَانَ يَرْبُو وَ قَدْ أَعْرِفُ أَنَّ فِيهِ رِبًا وَ أَسْتَيْقِنُ ذَلِكَ وَ لَيْسَ يَطِيبُ لِي حَلَالُهُ لِحَالِ عِلْمِي فِيهِ وَ قَدْ سَأَلْتُ فُقَهَاءَ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ وَ أَهْلِ الْحِجَازِ فَقَالُوا لَا يَحِلُّ أَكْلُهُ Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father, from Ibn Abu Umeyr, from Hammad, from Al Halby, (It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah – asws having said: ‘A man came over to my – asws father – asws , so he said, ‘I inherited some wealth and have come to know that its owner whom I inherited it from used to earn interest, and I do recognise that there is interest among it, and I am certain of that, and its Permissibility is not good for me due to the state of my knowledge with regards to it.
And I have asked the jurists of the people of Al-Iraq and the people of Al-Hijaz, so they said, ‘It is not Permissible to eat it’.
So, Abu Ja’far – asws said: ‘If you know for certain that therein is wealth well known as interest, and you recognise its owner, so take the capital of your wealth and return what is besides that; and if it was mixed up, so eat it with enjoyment and wholesomely, for the wealth is your wealth, and keep away from what your companion had done, for Rasool-Allah – saww had placed whatever was made from the interest, and Prohibited unto them what remained.
Therefore, the one who is ignorant of it, his ignorance is a leeway for him until he recognises it . So, when he recognises its Prohibition, it is Prohibited unto him, and the Punishment is Obligated upon him with regards to it, when he indulges in it just as it is Obligated upon the one who eats the interest’.