Assalammualaikum wr wb,
You probably have done your spring cleaning just before Eid as you would be expecting visitors to your house anytime. Have you ever wondered why does the dust in the cupboard and the windows comes back again and again?
Wouldn’t it be easier if you clean it just once and it will not be there for a life time?
But that’s not the case, it will come back no matter what you do. It is Allah swt way of telling us not to be lazy and move us to do our work.
In a capitalist society such as Singapore the dust of RIBA is very much the same. No matter how you clean it up, the dust will come back. This is especially so for our bank, CPF and perhaps your investments accounts. As long we have it, there is a need to clean it up.
The last two weeks, we talked about credit card, loans and the debts that generate Riba. For this particular Riba, it is only when you take up such schemes, you will be subjected to the Riba. Simply said, If you don’t have such loans and debts you will not have it.
For the banks and our cpf accounts, we don’t really have much choice. Well for the banks, yes we do have alternatives such as Maybank and CIMB Islamic banking but the problem with them is that the inconvenience of not having the facility to draw cash islandwide becomes an issue for many of us and perhaps this is the reason it is hindering us from opening these accounts.
So what do we do?
Do we just leave the growing interest in your accounts or can we do something about it?
Just like the dusts that settles on cupboards and windows, we will have to clear this at least once a year.
Learn how to look out for this dust.
This may sound technical but if you are the kind of person who looks at bank statements often you will be able to identify these incoming payments. It could be as small as 20 cents.
As for CPF, you may need to log online and download the yearly statement. Usually the interest is added at the year end. As shown below, it is added to to the Ordinary, Special and Medisave Accounts.
Example.
