Traditional banks are riba-based institutions. According to an authentic narration, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the one who consumes usury, the one who pays it, the one who writes down such a usurious contract, and those who witness it. This hadith clearly declares the prohibition of assuming any job that has a relation with such usurious activities whether in banks or any other institution.

A large number of scholar, therefore, maintain that it is prohibited to have any job in traditional banks (not even as a car driver or an office boy), because these are usury-based institutions and their main income is based on usury.

A group of scholars, however, maintains that if one avoids direct contact with usurious contracts and his job has no relevance to usurious transactions of the bank, he may have this job, because he will then get his salary for a permissible job.

But, in response to this argument, the first group of scholars can say that without the help of such persons, the bank will not be able to run its activities smoothly. In other words, these jobs, though permissible in principle, have become integral part of the bank activities and facilitate its flourishing and development. Allah Almighty says, “And you shall help one another to virtuousness, and to the fear of God. But you shall not help one another to sin and to aggression.” (Al-Ma’idah 5:2)

Allah Almighty knows best.