❖ Islamic Ruling on Bank Employment
Clarified in Light of Hadith
Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Volume 1, Page 667
❖ Question:
What is the Shar’i ruling concerning employment in a bank?
❖ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
Working in a bank is completely impermissible (ḥarām).
The books of Hadith clearly declare bank employment as unlawful and prohibited.
❖ Prophetic Hadith
The following Hadith is reported in:
Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Buyūʿ, Bāb al-Ribā:
لعن الله آكل الربا، وموكله، وشاهديه، وكاتبه.
(Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī, Sharḥ al-Tirmidhī, Vol. 2, p. 226)
Translation:
“Allah has cursed the one who consumes interest, the one who pays it, the two who witness it, and the one who records it.”
❖ Explanation:
This Hadith explicitly shows that the following individuals are all subject to Allah’s curse:
◈ The one who consumes riba (interest)
◈ The one who pays riba
◈ The witnesses to a riba-based transaction
◈ The scribe who records the transaction
(e.g., clerks, managers, treasurers, etc.)
Conclusion:
Based on this clear Hadith, it is evident that employment in modern-day interest-based banks is:
Unlawful (ḥarām) A major sin An act that incurs the curse (laʿnah) of Allahهذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
