Working for Banks

Q: My cousin use to work in a bank. His job is in CAD department that verify's that if the customer applying for the loan could pay back to the bank. And after verification, he shares his approval with the loan providers in the bank.

My question is, since I and my family has a very close relation with them and they sometime invite us for dinner, lunch at their home. Is it halaal for me to eat from them considering my cousin is the only earner in their home?

Q: I am outsourced in an Islamic Bank in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Is my salary halal or haram? It if it is halal, then how much good or bad it is for my eternal life i.e. life after death, to work in an Islamic Bank?

My company, which outsourced me in the Islamic Bank is a big Information Technology Company and have outsourced about 15 more employees in the same Islamic Bank. These employees (my colleagues) are working for software development; and develop and test different software portals and websites for the same Islamic Bank. My responsibility is to develop software portals for different services of covered cards and sukuk bonds etc. to be used by bank employees (mainly operations’ department employees). Please provide your opinion and fatwa in this regards.

Secondly, the same Islamic Bank has given a 1000 AED gift voucher of amazon.com to each of my team members, to show the gratitude towards the successful completion of the projects. Is it halal for me to utilize this gift voucher to purchase items for my home?

Q: I am an outsourced employee in a bank and working as a software developer. I have been assigned a desk in the bank. Usually I consume water and tea provided by the bank. Are these water and tea halaal to use for me as these facilities are provided by bank?

Q: I want to ask that I am working in audit firm and currently I have to audit different clients. Currently I am in bank audit. Can I drink water from bank premises as mostly income of the bank is based on interest and whether I can eat t​he foods from the money which is given by bank to my firm and my firm gives us to utilize for foods and dinner etc as we have to work late night.

Q: My problem is that I am unemployed and my family is forcing me to get a job in a bank but I don't want to do this job because I think it's haraam. What should I do?

Q: Is working in the IT department of a bank permissible?

Q: My father is 68 years old now. He was working as a manager at a government bank for more than 40 years. When he was in his 20's he joined the bank because of the financial problems which his family encountered. At the bank he served plenty of positions such as cashier, assistant manager, credit controller, risk manager, etc. He quit his job at this bank 8 years ago. Now he is working at our village in Baithuz Zakath and Baithul Maal organizations. I would like to present the following points:

• He has never given money for interest (Riba) for him

• He has never borrowed for interest (Riba) for him

• All what he done was he did his job at the bank.

• During his top management career, he was very interested in Islamic banking and tried to introduce Islamic banking system in his bank (At that time, there was no bank to conduct Islamic banking services. Very Recently, his bank started Islamic banking services to its customers. They used my father’s proposals and other documents to start this service)

• He did that job as his livelihood

• Till now, he gets pension from his bank (since his bank is a fully government owned entity, all the funds are directly coming from the treasury)

• He uses his knowledge in banking to uplift the Baithuz Zakath and Baithul Maal organizations in our city. (Many other villages are impressed with his Baithuz Zakath Organization Model. They meet him and get advices and support as well)

• He is very pious. He never misses any of his prayers.

Now I am writing my questions:

1. Is that pension money which my father gets from the bank haraam?

2. If it is haraam, what are the remedies ? (The money which he gets from Baithuz Zakath is not enough for him to meet his day to day needs.

3. Was his job (Banking Job) haraam? 

Q: I am working as a consultant in a micro finance bank that provides loans on interest. Are my earnings halaal?

Q: Can a chartered accountant, who checks and verifies the accounts of the company, audit the accounts of banking company other than interest and loan accounts. Like salaries, taxes, office expenses or miscellaneous expenses, fixed assets, share capital. What is the shariah ruling regarding it?

Q: I am working in the IT sector for a bank. Is this permissible? I create the process of how share holder request are routed from beginning to end with automation. I am not directly working with any customers. If it is not permissible should I quit right away and look for another job? I have already started applying as soon as I realized it may not be permissible.