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Conditionality In Impermissibility Of Interest

Does interest become permissible in extreme circumstances?

Interest is absolutely impermissible in any situation except when one anticipates extreme harm, where the extremity of the need would be analogous to eating unslaughtered meat when dying of hunger and nothing else is available; any extremity less than this degree would not permit one to deal in interest; too often Muslims mistakenly believe that dealing in interest-bearing loans is an "extreme need" these days in order to buy a home instead of renting, purchase educational loans, or finance car purchases, to name a few common examples; but unless the need is life-threatening, (which the need for home ownership, a car or an education is not) the impermissibility of dealing in interest remains.

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