Law of Working in Bank in Islam – Is it Allowed?

Review by : Yuli SE., MM

Along with the progress of the times, economic activities also growing rapidly including with the existence of Finance Institutions such as banks and banking systems. Conventional banking system is a system where the economic activity covering funding (saving), lending, currency exchange, bonds, current account, transfer (money transfer), and many others. See also Reasons Your Duas Are not Answered

Sometimes the economic conditions of a Nation can be seen by the banking system, the more advanced the banking systems then as well as the Country itself. Truthfully the main activity of banks are collecting fund from the society and lend it back into society or in other words mean channeling fund from whom, who got excess fund into someone who lack of fund. Bank generally got profit from loan interest nor deductions from savings given to customers.

Banking System According to Islam

In this modern economic that applied nowadays, basically bank is an intermediary institution or usually we called it Finance Intermediary. Although bank give services to society or customer, bank is not social institution.

In fact, bank was categorized as an institutions that engaged in the trading sector and money circulation in society and a place to kept wealth. According to that activity bank create a term called interest. This conventional bank system that practice usury (riba) brought by western society and influenced by Jewish. See also : Prohibition of Raising Dogs in Islam

Interest adopted by the banking system in the Law of Islam considered as usury (riba) or excess that according to the scholars thought is forbidden (haram). Usury (riba) itself is forbidden by Allah SWT since it could harm other people as written in the commandment of Allah SWT as follow :

“And whatever you give for interest to increse withinn the wealth of people will not increase with Allah. But what you give in zakah, desiring the countenance of Allah – those are the multipliers.” (Surah Ar-Rum verse 39)

Law of Working in Bank in Islam

Eventhough the scholar opine that conventional bank which applying interest is an activity of usury (riba), there are some opinions how the law works in the bank itself. For any further details, let us see some scholars opinions as follow :

a. According to Yusuf Qardhawi

In Yusuf Qardhawi views and opinions, working at the bank in fact is not forbidden because not all the activities and transactions in conventional banking world contain of usury (riba). In the banking system there are some transaction that basically halal (permitted) and allowed. Though still Yusuf Qardhawi forbide interest or usury (riba) from bank. As well as people working in the Bank according to him are allowed based on this basic reasons : [AdSense-B]

Not all transactions in banking contain of usury (riba) and those working at the bank not always did usury activities that harm others and not all of it about debt and loan.
As for the banking system not controlled by non Moslems than the conventional banking system better controlled by Moslem so a Moslem according to Yusuf Qardhawi is allowed to work and earn a living from bank.
Law of working at a bank is allowed (neutral) especially if that person can only work at the banking sector and it is done to fulfill an urgent need. Moreover as a Moslem it is recommended to work as what’s written in hadith.

“Stay away from seven cases that caused havoc (muqibat). Then the companions (sahaba) asked ‘what is that seven cases, O Rasulullah? then Rasulullah SAW gave an answer shirq, withchery, murder a forbidden soul by Allah unless it is accepted by shari’a, consuming usury (riba), consuming an orphan welath, run away from war, throwing an allegations of adultery to a woman that in a careless situation and in faith (of Allah).” (Hadith of Bukhari and Muslim) [AdSense-A]
A salary received by someone that working in bank in urgent situations then the law is permitted as well as a matter that first is forbidden (haram) then it became permitted (halal) if the situations are urgent. As for this case is according to the Scholars in Egypt which is Jad Al-Haq that stated if working in a bank is halal eventhough the bank his working at using usury (riba) system as long as that bank also had another activities which is khoser (halal). See also How to Deal with Emotional Pain in Islam

b. According to Abdul Aziz bin Baz

Scholar Abdul Aziz bin Baz stated that all the transaction doing by conventional bank are forbidden (haram) and not accepted. As well as if someone working at a conventional bank then the law is forbidden (haram). Interest received by bank are usury (riba) and someone forbidden to eat usury (riba) money. There are the reason why the law working at the bank is forbidden (haram) according to Abdul Aziz bin Baz :

The law of consuming salary from the outcome of conventional bank usury (riba) are same as consuming forbidden (haram) money or wealth meanwhile the law of usury (riba) itself is haram. It suit with the word of Rasulullah SAW as follow :

“Indeed a time will come upon people when they will consume usury.” They said to Rasulullah, “Is that all of the people?” The Prophet said, “Whoever does not take from it will be afflicted by its dust”. (Abu Hurairah)
Helping the activity of bank using usury (riba) just the same as accepting usury and allowed it hence some of the scholars forbide the law of working in conventional bank. Meanwhile, we as a Moslem should know that the law of usury (riba) is forbidden (haram) and the one doing it (culprit) will get a punishment from Allah SWT.
Working in a bank that doing transactions and activities of usury just the same as helping them doing it which the law of that is forbidden (haram), meanwhile Allah forbide Moslems to help each other in the false sense and forbidden as already stated in the commandment as follow :

“O you who have believed, do not violate the rites of Allah or (the sanctity of) the sacred month or (neglect the marking of) the sacrificial animals and garlanding (them) or (violate the safety of) those coming to the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord and (His) approval. But when you come out of ihram, then (you mau) hunt. And do not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from Al-Masjid al-Hara lead you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah : indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.” (Al-Maidah verse 2)
This also mentioned in the hadith of Rasulullah SAW that had been narrated by Imam Muslim as follow :

“Allah has cursed the one who consumes usury (riba), its client, its witness, and its recorder.” And the Prophet said, “They are just a same” (Muslim)

Therefore after knowing the law of working in a Bank is subhat (or still in contradiction) which some said it is allowed (halal) and some also said that working in a Bank is forbidden (haram). For the better sake of us as a Moslem, we should avoid something that the nature still in doubt such as usury itself. Moslem as the people who think should always embed the though of his religion in their life and embed their child islamic education since early stage in order to avoid the western capitalism culture. Well, i hope this information will give a lot of benefits to all the readers.

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