The Ruling on Investing in Bank al-Bilad and Getting Rid of Its Shares

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, some people have attributed to you the statement that you lean toward forbidding investment in Bank al-Bilad. What? Some people have attributed to you the statement that you lean toward forbidding investment in Bank al-Bilad, and some have attributed to you the statement that it is disliked. I did not know about this until after I had invested in this bank. My question is: Is what was attributed to you correct, and do you consider it forbidden? And is it permissible for me to get rid of the shares by selling them to others now? As for how to get out of that?

Answer:
I am still saying, and I continue to say, that I do not know about Bank al-Bilad, nor do I know its system, and I do not issue a ruling on entering it as long as I do not know it. I do not issue a ruling on entering it. I do not issue a ruling except on something I know and have verified. This is what I say. If a person knows it and knows its system, and there is no concern in it, he enters it. As for me, I do not know it, and I do not issue a ruling on entering it, and not because I do not know about it. This is what I say, and I continue to say it. Yes. As for getting rid of entering it after you have entered it, that is up to you. Do whatever gets you out of this. Yes.