What is the ruling on working in interest-based banks?
2026-09-21
F88 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn Bāz
الشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Original Q&A · Complete published question and answer
The complete published question and answer are included. “These banks” refers to the interest-dealing banks specified in the question. The question's compressed phrase about dependants is clarified with a bracketed English addition.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
تنتشر في بلادنا البنوك الربوية، ويعمل فيها الكثيرُ من الموظفين من أبناء المسلمين، وتحت رعاية شيوخ ونساء وأطفال، فهل دخلُ هؤلاء المُوظفين حرامٌ أم حلالٌ؟ أي: هل يدخل في الربا المُحرَّم؟
الجواب
العمل في البنوك محرَّمٌ؛ لأنه من باب التَّعاون على الإثم والعدوان، وقد صدر مني ومن اللَّجنة الدائمة فتاوى كثيرة في هذا الباب، والأصل في هذا قوله جلَّ وعلا: وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ [المائدة:2]، وقول النبيِّ ﷺ في الحديث الصحيح: أنه ﷺ لعن آكل الربا، وموكله، وكاتبه، وشاهديه، وقال: هم سواء، فجعلهم ملعونين لتعاونهم مع المُرابين، فلا يجوز التَّعاون مع المرابين، لا بكونك مُحاسبًا، ولا أمين صندوقٍ، ولا مُراسلًا، ولا غير ذلك؛ لأنَّ هذا كله من التَّعاون: وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا [الطلاق:2]، عساها تتعطل كلها: وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ يُسْرًا [الطلاق:4]، لعلها تتعطل كلها، أو يتوب الله عليهم ويتركوا الربا.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
Banks dealing in interest are widespread in our country, and many Muslims work in them, with elderly people, women and children [in their care]. Are these employees' earnings unlawful or lawful? Do they fall within prohibited ribā?
Answer
Working in these banks is prohibited because it constitutes cooperation in sin and transgression. I and the Permanent Committee have issued many fatwas on this subject. The basis is His statement, majestic and exalted: “Cooperate in righteousness and piety, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression” [al-Māʾidah 5:2], and the authentic hadith that the Prophet ﷺ cursed the one who consumes ribā, the one who pays it, its recorder and its two witnesses, saying, “They are alike.” He described them as cursed for cooperating with those who deal in ribā. It is therefore impermissible to cooperate with them as an accountant, cashier, messenger or otherwise, because all of this is cooperation. “Whoever fears Allah, He will make a way out for him” [al-Ṭalāq 65:2]. May all these banks cease operating. “Whoever fears Allah, He will make his affairs easy for him” [al-Ṭalāq 65:4]. Perhaps they will all cease operating, or Allah will turn towards those involved in mercy and they will abandon ribā.
Source and editorial notes
Official Ibn Bāz website fatwa 21217
الموقع الرسمي للشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Official website of Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz
Arabic checked against the complete official published transcript. Text is preserved; spacing is normalized and legacy honorific glyphs are expanded. The English translates every displayed paragraph; Quran quotations are translations of their meanings.