Is it permissible to work in a company that deposits its funds in a bank?

The questioner : Is it permissible to work in a company that deposits its funds in a bank?

The Shaykh : No, it is not permissible.

The questioner : It is not permissible.

The Shaykh : Not at all, because Allah (Mighty and Majestic) established a principle upon which the Islamic society is built, which is His saying: The Islamic society, can you imagine, is like a very large factory composed of many machines, and each of these machines, whether large, small, or medium, cooperates with the others; they have teeth, and if one tooth deviates from its path or breaks, the operation of this factory is disrupted. So it is like the Islamic nation in that it is obligatory for them all to cooperate in righteousness and piety, and not to cooperate in sin and aggression. So if a company and banks and the like do not have one of them performing the work assigned to it, the company is paralyzed and the bank is paralyzed. If it is a company of good and a truly Islamic bank, not just in name, then in that case, leaving it would be abandoning an obligation. And the opposite is exactly the opposite: if one works in a company that engages in what is forbidden, or a non-Islamic bank—even if it is called Islamic—then he has a sin that he shares with all the members who established this company. This is among the meanings of His saying: And the detail of this prohibition came explicitly in some hadiths regarding today's banks. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So today, some people who pretend to be righteous will tell you, "I do not eat riba," and they think of themselves, in the Syrian expression, as "satisfying a need," meaning they are proud that they do not take riba. I wish they would also say, "I do not eat riba," but they say, "I do not take interest," calling riba "interest." This is an ignorant person or one who ignores the truth. "And the sweetest of them is bitter," because if he were knowledgeable or acted upon his knowledge, where would he go with his saying regarding the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his agent: Now, the hadith addressed a matter that was common at that time; there were no organized banks or commercial establishments dedicated to dealing in riba, until the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) gave us the detail that I benefit from today from the verse and this hadith. So I say that every bank among the known banks today, from the president to the janitor, are all cursed.

The questioner : Allahu Akbar.

The Shaykh : From the president without whom the bank could not stand, to the janitor. What is the janitor? Indeed, they cannot live if things accumulate, especially cigarette butts and foul smoke, and so on; they cannot live. So if the bank stands on all these employees, from the most dangerous to the lowest, they are all included in this curse. Yes, the Messenger did not give the detail, so we say: First, our sufficiency is His saying: So the manager and the janitor cooperate in sin and aggression. Second, when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the four types—the eater of riba, his agent, his scribe, and his witnesses—because that was the reality at that time. Now, this reality has developed and other types of clients have entered, like this janitor, for example. This is also included in the ruling without doubt. And so, every company that is established upon the disobedience of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), it is not permissible for a Muslim to be a member of it, because these members are what constitute this company. And the Muslims, in truth, their affair is in danger, and they hope for the mercy of Allah and hope that Allah will rescue them by destroying the Jews and the Americans. But Allah (Mighty and Majestic) will not rescue them because He conditioned them and said: And all the slogans, all the festivals, and all these calls held in the five prayers and others, "stay in your place," in the military system, have no benefit at all. Why? Because we are content with the easy saying and do not do the difficult work, which is jihad in the path of Allah in truth, as He (peace and blessings be upon him) said in the authentic hadith: And so, the path to establishing the Muslim state and realizing the Islamic society will be that every Muslim does what Allah has made obligatory upon him from what he is able to do. Now, you may not be able to fight the Jews, but you can fight the methodology of the Jews, the clothing of the Jews, the immodesty of the Jews. This is within your ability. You are able to purify your house, your home, and your shop, and so on, from these matters. But you do not do it. If you are not able to do the easier matter, you will not be able to do the greater matter.
Please, yes.