Fatwa: # 16054
Category: Business Matters
Country: Pakistan
Date: 9th January 2008

Title

Interest bearing transaction

Question

I want your view about an issue we face in our compure software projects. What happens that my company doesn't take a projects for me that are solely for a forbidden (Haram) purpose. For example, a banking software/ insurace software or a gambling software. Instead, they give me projects of harmless businesses lke a pharmaceutical company, an industry, etc. But sometimes, a part of it may contain small part that is related to a forbidden work (For example, a small report about their insurance expenses for their cars, some little interest calculation that's part of their otherwise halal business. When such an incident happens, they tell us "Ok! You are the team manager, you have to decide how to face this situation. Either do it yourself or through some of your junior team mates, I don't know how but you have to manage it as you are the project manager". Is it Halal or should we think for some alternate job.

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful  

Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh

We observe you have understood the prohibition of a career that involves assistance in an interest bearing transaction.  May Allah assist you in your intention and make it easier for you to abstain, Ameen.

 

It appears from your query that your responsibilities might require you to record un-Islamic expenses of insurance and interest.  Since the interest transactions have already taken place and this software is merely keeping the records, it will not be prohibited.

And Allah knows best

Wassalam

Ml. Ehzaz Ajmeri,
Student Darul Iftaa

Checked and Approved by:

Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa

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