Can I work in the IT Department of a Commercial Bank?
Question:
I work in the IT field for a large bank, my job requires me to provide development and support to the bank’s enterprise level applications. This enterprise application is basically the gate to all other banking applications. This tool/application does not calculate interest nor does it have anything to do with Riba. Can you kindly please advise if my income is Halaal and permissible in accordance with Islamic Law?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
We acknowledge receipt of your question via Moulana Suhail Ibn Arif Saheb (HafizahuAllah).
With regards to your question:
In principle, there are two aspects which are considered before determining the Shari’ah Compliancy of a job profile:
1. The nature of the job profile/description itself.
2. The major source of the funds from which the employees of the company/bank are remunerated.
A person who works in the IT department of a bank is usually tasked with certain duties linked to the programming, software, networking systems of the bank, etc. You state that you provide development and support to the bank’s enterprise level applications. Enterprise level applications, also known as Enterprise Level Software (EAS) is specific software designed for organizations and large dispensations including that of commercial banks.
Services provided by enterprise software are typically business-oriented tools such as online shopping and online payment processing, interactive product catalogue, automated billing systems, security, enterprise content management, IT service management, customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, business intelligence, project management, collaboration, human resource management, manufacturing, enterprise application integration, and enterprise forms automation.[1]
Since, the job profile in reference is unrelated to interest, therefore such a job profile is Shariah Compliant.
If the major source of funds through which the employee’s of commercial banks are remunerated is from interest and unlawful money, then it is not permissible for one to work at such a bank.
However, if the majority of the bank’s funds are of a non-usurious nature, then employment at such a bank is permissible.[2]
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mawlana Ismail Desai
Student, Darul Ifta
Durban, South Africa
Checked & Approved:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise_software, Link accessed at 29/07/12.
2 آكِلُ الرَّبَّا وَكَاسِبُ الْحَرَامِ أَهْدَى إلَيْهِ أَوْ أَضَافَهُ وَغَالِبُ مَالِهِ حَرَامٌ لَا يَقْبَلُ، وَلَا يَأْكُلُ مَا لَمْ يُخْبِرْهُ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ الْمَالَ أَصْلُهُ حَلَالٌ وَرِثَهُ أَوْ اسْتَقْرَضَهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ غَالِبُ مَالِهِ حَلَالًا لَا بَأْسَ بِقَبُولِ هَدِيَّتِهِ وَالْأَكْلِ مِنْهَا، كَذَا فِي الْمُلْتَقَطِ. (الفتاوي الهندية،ج 5 ص 363 دار الفكر))
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