Investing an entrusted sum of money
18-11-2012 | IslamWeb
Question:
AOA, One of my friends gave me some money as "Amanat" to be returned back to him on demand. I put this money in my Bank account. Sir, what about the profit on this amount? Can I retain it with me or I have to pay to my friend along with original amount whenever he demands it? Thanks...
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
If the bank account in which you saved the money (you were entrusted with) is in a bank that deals with Riba (usurious interest), then you are obliged to seek the forgiveness of Allaah and get rid of the interest by spending it on the general welfare of the Muslims or giving it to the poor and needy. This interest neither belongs to you nor to the owner of the trust. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 83704.
However, if the account in which you saved the trust is an investment account in an Islamic bank, and the owner of the trust did not give you permission to invest it, then this is considered as an act of transgressing the trust, so you should seek Allaah’s forgiveness from this sin and repent to Him. As regards the profit thereof, then the scholars differed in opinion about it as to who is its owner [to whom it should be given]? The closest opinion to the objectives of the Sharee‘ah (Islamic Law) is that the profit belongs to both the owner of the trust and the one who traded with it. Based on this, you are entitled to half of the profit and the owner of the trust is entitled to the other half.
However, if he had given you permission to trade with it on the basis that you would give him back the original trust only, then the profit is entirely yours.
Allaah Knows best.