The ruling on working for those who deal in riba (usury or interest)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The people are performing Hajj now. If it is not seventy percent, if it is not seventy percent, let it be fifty percent who contract with the banks.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed, the merchants are at ninety percent, the merchants are at ninety percent, ninety-five percent.
The questioner : The merchants are not known by their nature, I mean, it may be an anomalous case that one does not deal in it, specifically the merchants.
The Shaykh : Certainly.
The questioner : It may be that one is an anomalous case who does not deal in it, and the rest do deal in it, but the category of merchants has now stood out to us; many categories in society are no longer, I mean, like before, by Allah, this is in the sky and this is on the earth, in the middle, in, in, in, in, present in our human societies. Now, besides the merchants, people deal with the banks, either by depositing money or by borrowing money. In my professional position, I mean, as a craftsman and worker, many categories of society, many of whom deal with them and take from them. For example, a hundred, I think, comes out to those who take for fifteen years, those who take for twenty years; this is compound debt or compound riba, meaning.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : What does the working hand have to do with it? And what does this reality have to do with it? I mean, I work for so-and-so, a skilled worker, I work, but I know that he takes from the bank. And he pays riba on this money. What is my sin in this reality?
The Shaykh : You are in one of two cases. If the work you do for him is permissible by the Shari'ah, then your wage is halal (lawful). But if the work you do for him is itself haram (forbidden), then your wage is haram. For example, let us say this usurer, Zayd, a usurer among people, hired you to do plastering on a house for him, so your wage is halal. But it is not so if he hired you to build a donkey, then your wage is haram. The example has become clear to you.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : One looks at your work; if the work you do is permissible by the Shari'ah, then your wage is permissible by the Shari'ah, and if your work itself is not permissible by the Shari'ah, then your work is not permissible by the Shari'ah. One hires you to build a cinema for him; he does not care about the renovation, because Allah says[Al-Ma'idah 5:2]. As for a baker, for example, the usurer comes and buys from him and pays him, of course. Likewise, the worker who works in a permissible job; this is the fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) in religion: that we distinguish between a permissible job where he takes his wage from money he earned through haram means, and his sin is upon him, his sin is on his side. But I become an aid to him in disobedience to Allah, this is [different].
The questioner : Ah, this is what I mean, the result or the answer in this reality is that I know the cinema is not desirable.
The Shaykh : Oh.
The questioner : Not by the Shari'ah. Nor even by the conscience of man; the whole job remains as a distraction, factors that distract, I mean, from any other directions, and the money you earn from unsound ways, on the other hand, the tavern, on the other hand, the bank, on the other hand, like that. Yes, yes, of course, this is what those who cooperate in them are cooperating in evil, just like its doer, I mean, there is nothing in it. Yes, because I want to say, I want to live, but your provision is from Allah; perhaps Allah will send me another door besides this door.
The Shaykh :[At-Talaq 65:2-3].
The questioner : Because he has another job, professor.
The Shaykh : May Allah give you health, that is enough. Your mercy settles ten. May Allah honor you and reward you. May Allah will it.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed, the merchants are at ninety percent, the merchants are at ninety percent, ninety-five percent.
The questioner : The merchants are not known by their nature, I mean, it may be an anomalous case that one does not deal in it, specifically the merchants.
The Shaykh : Certainly.
The questioner : It may be that one is an anomalous case who does not deal in it, and the rest do deal in it, but the category of merchants has now stood out to us; many categories in society are no longer, I mean, like before, by Allah, this is in the sky and this is on the earth, in the middle, in, in, in, in, present in our human societies. Now, besides the merchants, people deal with the banks, either by depositing money or by borrowing money. In my professional position, I mean, as a craftsman and worker, many categories of society, many of whom deal with them and take from them. For example, a hundred, I think, comes out to those who take for fifteen years, those who take for twenty years; this is compound debt or compound riba, meaning.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed.
The questioner : What does the working hand have to do with it? And what does this reality have to do with it? I mean, I work for so-and-so, a skilled worker, I work, but I know that he takes from the bank. And he pays riba on this money. What is my sin in this reality?
The Shaykh : You are in one of two cases. If the work you do for him is permissible by the Shari'ah, then your wage is halal (lawful). But if the work you do for him is itself haram (forbidden), then your wage is haram. For example, let us say this usurer, Zayd, a usurer among people, hired you to do plastering on a house for him, so your wage is halal. But it is not so if he hired you to build a donkey, then your wage is haram. The example has become clear to you.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : One looks at your work; if the work you do is permissible by the Shari'ah, then your wage is permissible by the Shari'ah, and if your work itself is not permissible by the Shari'ah, then your work is not permissible by the Shari'ah. One hires you to build a cinema for him; he does not care about the renovation, because Allah says
but do not cooperate in sin and aggression
وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِThe questioner : Ah, this is what I mean, the result or the answer in this reality is that I know the cinema is not desirable.
The Shaykh : Oh.
The questioner : Not by the Shari'ah. Nor even by the conscience of man; the whole job remains as a distraction, factors that distract, I mean, from any other directions, and the money you earn from unsound ways, on the other hand, the tavern, on the other hand, the bank, on the other hand, like that. Yes, yes, of course, this is what those who cooperate in them are cooperating in evil, just like its doer, I mean, there is nothing in it. Yes, because I want to say, I want to live, but your provision is from Allah; perhaps Allah will send me another door besides this door.
The Shaykh :
And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out (3) And will provide for him from where he does not expect.
وَمَن يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُThe questioner : Because he has another job, professor.
The Shaykh : May Allah give you health, that is enough. Your mercy settles ten. May Allah honor you and reward you. May Allah will it.
Source
سلسلة الهدى والنور، رقم 1361 في قناة «تسجيلات الإمام الألباني - محمد أبو ليلى الأثري» — youtube.com (6:34)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.