Interest is haram; therefore, getting a mortgage to buy a house is not allowed. In the West, this can be difficult as one has to rent. And if you're renting a home, you can be forced to leave if the owner decides to sell his place. This can make the haram tempting, as it seems like a stable alternative.

But would we exchange instability for slavery?

I came across a compelling story that helps us see the insanity of the Capitalist-interest based approach to home ownership.

A documentary filmmaker, Jonnie Hughes, had visited a “hunter-gatherer” tribe in Papua New Guinea (referred to as Papuans). He was able to get funding them to invite them to see him in the UK. There was concern about whether they would become enamoured with the Western lifestyle. So, what happened instead came as a bit of a surprise to Hughes.

As narrated in Civilized to Death by Chris Ryan, they stayed with Mark. Mark left in the early morning and returned late at night. They were confused and wondered why he would do this. Their workweek was about 20 hours, which was spent hunting and gathering food. So, they asked their host why he would do this, it didn't make sense them.

And here comes the mortgage part.

Mark explained that he had to work to pay for the house that they lived in over a 25-year period. So instead of being jealous of this western lifestyle, they pitied Mark. They explained to their host that when they needed a house back in Papua New Guinea, they would work as a group and built a home in a couple of weeks.

With Islam, we don't need to live as a hunter-gatherer to understand this. As Allah (swt) has revealed:

"But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not." [TMQ 2:216]

With that in mind, the Papuans' reaction to the insanity of the Capitalist approach to home ownership is refreshing. They see through the hype. Behind the grand promises of progress is a system that enslaves people to debt and takes them away from the things that really matter.

Did they see any advantages in the Capitalist system? Yes. It was a better way to shoot their arrows. That’s it.