The Islamic bank in Zarqa has safe deposit boxes, which are rented by a person to store his money in, in exchange for a fee that the bank takes?

The questioner : I learned recently that the Islamic bank in Zarqa has started offering safe deposit boxes. A person rents the box, and the bank has a key, the customer has a key, and some others have keys. I heard this from people, I mean. Because, my teacher, it is a major loophole for those who will naturally make excuses.

The Shaykh : Yes, but they also say that these merchants, that this does not solve their problem. This solves their problem from the angle of preserving their money, but it does not solve their problem regarding credit and lending and borrowing.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, is this permissible... I mean...?

The Shaykh : Of course, the box?

The questioner : Yes, the box.

The Shaykh : This is a lawful thing.

The questioner : ... I mean, we do not say that the bank is Islamic, because it is one of the banks?

The Shaykh : Any bank.

The questioner : Even if we give our money to an entity that deals in riba (usury or interest)...?

The Shaykh : The important thing is whether the method by which you give it to this bank is prescribed (mashru') or not prescribed? I mean, the usurer comes to the baker and buys bread, so the baker takes the price of the bread from the usurer. Is there any doubt that this is permissible?

The questioner : It is permissible, sir. But I decided in my contract to take it once. Abu 'Abdullah was with me and he said that I pay them to a second party. I prefer that I pay them and go to the institution and not pay them at the bank, even if I pay the same amount. But I say that the preference is that I pay it at the institution... through what?

The Shaykh : ... It is a door that does not end. We are talking about haram (forbidden) and halal (lawful).

The questioner : I mean, what I am asking, my Shaykh, is, for example, this box, who takes its rent? The bank that takes its rent, is this the door I mean?

The Shaykh : Is what he takes halal (lawful) or haram (forbidden)?

The questioner : They take it as halal (lawful). But I deal with the bank because it takes rent from me...

The Shaykh : My brother, the type of transaction; we look at the type of transaction with the bank. Is the type of transaction haram (forbidden) or halal (lawful)? It is halal (lawful). But if we assume that you have a bank that does not deal in riba (usury or interest), we tell you at that time to transfer this lawful transaction, if that is the correct term, from here and put it in that bank. But our discussion is whether this type of transaction is halal (lawful) or haram (forbidden)? It is halal (lawful). Then there is another viewpoint that appears to me; if we are able to direct the riba-based banks to deal in Sharia-compliant transactions, this means there is great encouragement for them to engage in this lawful transaction.