Job that involves maintenance for usurious banks
27-4-2016 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalaamu alaykum. I was wondering whether my job is haram. I work at a call center that does maintenance requests (for goverment building, banks, and so on). My question specificially is that I have to track email maintenance service requests for a bank as well. I do not want to disappoint Allaah, The Exalted. I love this job because I am able to do my prayers at work.
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 ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Firstly, we would like to commend your keenness on avoiding committing prohibited acts and performing the prayers on time. We implore Allaah to bless you with sustenance through lawful means and increase your piety and righteousness.
If your work involves tracking email maintenance service requests for usurious banks (that deal with interest), then it is impermissible for you to do this job because it involves helping in committing sins. Hence, you should quit this job and look for another. The Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Fataawa in Saudi Arabia was asked, “What is the religious ruling on working as a maintenance engineer in an electronics company that deals with some interest-based banks? The company sells devices, such as computers, printers, and telephone sets to the bank and assigns us as maintenance engineers to go to the bank for the maintenance of these devices on a regular basis...”
Their answer reads, “It is not permissible for you to work for companies with the description that you mentioned because it involves cooperating in sin and transgression.”
Verily, whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, He will compensate him with a better thing in its place. 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] The Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, said, “You will not give up something for the sake of Allaah but that Allaah will substitute it with something better than it.” [Ahmad]
Allaah knows best.