Paying salaries by check and charging fees for the exchange
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
He says: Health department employees receive their salaries from the National Commercial Bank via checks. Is there anything wrong with that? Some people go to exchange the check at Al-Rajhi Company, where the company takes ten riyals from the owner of the right without his consent. Is this permissible?
The Shaykh:
If you transfer your salary or a right you have with the bank, there is no harm. I mean, this is your right and your salary that you are entitled to; you go and take it to the bank. It is not permissible to leave it in the bank for them to invest it for you through riba (usury or interest). If you leave it in the bank so that they invest it with riba, that is not permissible. But if you go and keep it there, or leave it in the bank for safekeeping, not for investment, there is no harm in that. Yes.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible for them to take ten riyals from the salary owner’s right. However, he should ask them what the reason for this is. Perhaps they will say, “This is for the services provided to the money, and it is brought from a distant place.” If this is in exchange for services, there is no harm. If it is in exchange for services and work, there is no harm. They are not keeping it for you for free, right? It does not contradict [the ruling], no, it does not contradict, if it is in exchange for a certain amount of work.
There is nothing wrong with it, but he must not take riba (usury or interest) on it. He leaves it in the bank for two or three days; there is no harm in that. But he must not take riba (usury or interest) on it. He takes only his salary.
He says: Health department employees receive their salaries from the National Commercial Bank via checks. Is there anything wrong with that? Some people go to exchange the check at Al-Rajhi Company, where the company takes ten riyals from the owner of the right without his consent. Is this permissible?
The Shaykh:
If you transfer your salary or a right you have with the bank, there is no harm. I mean, this is your right and your salary that you are entitled to; you go and take it to the bank. It is not permissible to leave it in the bank for them to invest it for you through riba (usury or interest). If you leave it in the bank so that they invest it with riba, that is not permissible. But if you go and keep it there, or leave it in the bank for safekeeping, not for investment, there is no harm in that. Yes.
The questioner:
Yes.
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible for them to take ten riyals from the salary owner’s right. However, he should ask them what the reason for this is. Perhaps they will say, “This is for the services provided to the money, and it is brought from a distant place.” If this is in exchange for services, there is no harm. If it is in exchange for services and work, there is no harm. They are not keeping it for you for free, right? It does not contradict [the ruling], no, it does not contradict, if it is in exchange for a certain amount of work.
There is nothing wrong with it, but he must not take riba (usury or interest) on it. He leaves it in the bank for two or three days; there is no harm in that. But he must not take riba (usury or interest) on it. He takes only his salary.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، محاضرات في العقيدة والدعوة-01-الأعراض وحماية الإسلام لها\صالح الفوزان\كبار العلماء — youtube.com (1:07:37)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.