The Ruling on Subscribing to Interest-Based Banks and Working in Them
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Muhammad from Dammam is with us on the line. Please, Muhammad. Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh:
Peace, and the mercy and blessings of Allah, be upon you.
The questioner:
I am following up on the same question. I have three questions on the same topic. First, regarding the ruling on subscribing to Al-Ahli Bank, knowing that the subscription will be on Sunday, if Allah wills. Wait, wait. If it is the Rudi branch, Shaykh, is the bank correct? The employee...
The Shaykh:
My brother, wait a moment, be patient, my brother. It is not permissible to subscribe to interest-based banks, nor to interest-based companies, nor to any interest-based institutions. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1598 And the Exalted and Glorious said: [Al-Baqarah 2:275] They do not stand except as one stands whom Satan has seized with madness. Up to His saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:278-279] So the Muslim must avoid riba (usury or interest) wherever it is, and he must not subscribe to it, nor participate in it. He must not participate in interest-based banks, nor subscribe to them, ever. Yes.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you. Shaykh, but still on the same topic, I am asking you, Shaykh: if I were, for example, currently an employee at this bank, working for it, what do you advise me to do, Shaykh?
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible for you to remain in a bank job. You must move to another job, a pure job that does not involve riba (usury or interest) work. Because if you have heard the hadith that the scribe of riba is cursed, then if you become an employee, you would be among the scribes who write down riba, and the curse would include you, may Allah protect us from that. So stay away from this work and seek another job. Yes.
Muhammad from Dammam is with us on the line. Please, Muhammad. Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh:
Peace, and the mercy and blessings of Allah, be upon you.
The questioner:
I am following up on the same question. I have three questions on the same topic. First, regarding the ruling on subscribing to Al-Ahli Bank, knowing that the subscription will be on Sunday, if Allah wills. Wait, wait. If it is the Rudi branch, Shaykh, is the bank correct? The employee...
The Shaykh:
My brother, wait a moment, be patient, my brother. It is not permissible to subscribe to interest-based banks, nor to interest-based companies, nor to any interest-based institutions. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) cursed the accepter of interest and its payer, and one who records it, and the two witnesses
لعن الله اكل الربا وموكله وكاتبه وشاهديهThose who consume interest
الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا(278) O you who have believed, fear Allah and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers. (279) And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allah and His
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِThe questioner:
May Allah reward you. Shaykh, but still on the same topic, I am asking you, Shaykh: if I were, for example, currently an employee at this bank, working for it, what do you advise me to do, Shaykh?
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible for you to remain in a bank job. You must move to another job, a pure job that does not involve riba (usury or interest) work. Because if you have heard the hadith that the scribe of riba is cursed, then if you become an employee, you would be among the scribes who write down riba, and the curse would include you, may Allah protect us from that. So stay away from this work and seek another job. Yes.
Source
فتاوى على الهواء 21-12-1435هـ — alfawzan.live (36:13)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.