Paying some money to the landlord in advance so that he will reduce the rent for him

Question

Praise be to Allah.

What we understand from your question is that you are going
to rent a house for one year, and pay 20,000 in advance, and in return for
that the landlord will reduce the rent from 1000 to 500 dirhams, in return
for his being able to benefit from the money that is paid in advance. If
this money that you paid in advance will be returned to you at the end of
the period, then it is regarded as a loan given by you to the landlord, and
it is a riba-based loan because it brings you a benefit, which is the
reduction of the rent from 1000 to 500. It is as if you are lending him
20,000 so that he will give you back 20,600. The fuqaha’ are unanimously
agreed that every loan that brings a benefit is riba.

Imam Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Every
loan in which it is stipulated that more should be paid back is haraam, with
no difference of scholarly opinion. Ibn al-Mundhir said: They are
unanimously agreed that if the lender stipulates that the borrower must pay
back more or give a gift, and he gives the loan on that basis, then this
extra payment is riba. It was narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka’b, Ibn ‘Abbaas and
Ibn Mas’ood forbade loans that bring benefits, because lending is a contract
based on kindness and an act of drawing closer to Allaah. If he stipulates a
condition that more must be paid back, that goes against these principles.
End quote from al-Mughni (6/436).

The stern warning against riba is clear to you; it is a grave
major sin and the one who does it is addressed with a threat of war from
Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Fear Allaah and give up what remains
(due to you) from Ribaa (from now onward) if you are (really) believers.

279. And if you do not do it, then take a notice of war
from Allaah and His Messenger but if you repent, you shall have your capital
sums. Deal not unjustly (by asking more than your capital sums), and you
shall not be dealt with unjustly (by receiving less than your capital sums)”

[al-Baqarah 2:278-279]

And Muslim (1598)
narrated that Jaabir said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) cursed the one who consumes riba and the one who pays
it, the one who writes it down and the two who witness it, and he said: they
are all the same.

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “A dirham of riba that a man consumes knowingly is worse before
Allaah that thirty-six acts of zina.” Narrated by Ahmad (21450) and
al-Tabaraani; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’,
no. 3375.

We ask Allaah to guide you and to make you independent of
means with that which is halaal so that you will have no need of that which
is haraam.

And Allaah knows best.