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Fatwa CenterWorking as treasury manager or commodity risk manager
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. Allaah willing, I am considering to choose a halal career these days based on my finance background. I have two options to choose from: 1. Treasury Manager: If the main business of the company is in the halal industry, but the job role as a treasury manager involves managing credit, liquidity and FX risk using derivatives instruments and interacting with banks, is this type of job allowed in Islam? 2. Commodity risk manager: To the best of my knowledge, derivative instruments are also not allowed in the Sharia. This position requires the use of derivative instruments (options, futures and swaps) on commodities such as oil, gas and coal. In this respect, is a job role as a commodity risk manager permissible? As I have to decide in which direction I can go in my career, I want to know if these are Sharia compliant jobs. May Allaah reward you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
It is impermissible to work in a job that involves committing prohibited acts or helping others commit them. There is no doubt that there are endless ways of earning a living through lawful means available for whoever sincerely seeks after them.
If the jobs in reference involve conducting prohibited contracts and transactions, as you have stated in the question, then it is not allowed for you to work in either of them unless you cannot find any other lawful job and you need to work in order to earn a living and provide for yourself and your dependents. In this case, it is permissible for you to work in such a job, but you are obliged to quit it whenever you find a lawful job opportunity because necessity is measured in accordance with its true extent and must only be answered proportionately.
You should bear in mind that whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate and substitute him with something better, and whoever fears Allaah and adheres to Taqwa (piety and righteousness), Allaah will facilitate his affairs for him, bless him with sustenance, and provide for him from (sources) that he never could imagine. Allaah, The Exalted, says (what means): {And whoever fears Allaah - He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect.} [Quran 65:2-3]
Allaah knows best.
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