The Ruling of Taking Salary from an Employer who Deals with Interest

প্রশ্ন · Question

Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem
One of the brothers embarrassed me with a question which I think he
is right with, despite my attempt to explain the situation we are living
in, but he is not yet convinced.
The question pertains to the salary taken in work presented in the
public office in this capitalist system, which is mostly or part of it is
usury, knowing that the donor country for the public position pays
these or part of these funds from usurious loans taken from foreign
countries or from the International Monetary Fund.
Do we, the employees, in exchange for our work in the civil service,
take interest money or not? And if the answer is in the affirmative,
then what is the way to dispose of it and live without a job for which
we spent our lives obtaining study and work for it?
Thanks in advance for your understanding and may Allah reward you
immensely.

উত্তর · Answer

Wa Alaykom Assalam Wa Rahmatullah Wa Brakatuhu,
With regard to the salary that the employee receives in the public
office in exchange for his work, his ruling is related to the work he
does:

- If he does a prohibited job like someone who works in intelligence to
spy on Muslims or works in torturing people and the Da’wah carriers
etc…, then his salary is forbidden because he earned it from a
forbidden work…
- And if the work he does is a permissible job, such as working as a
teacher, engineer, or doctor in a government hospital, or any other
permissible work, his salary is permissible for him, and it does not
harm him if the party’s money that gives his salary is mixed with
interest or other forbidden transactions or permissible transactions,
taking his salary from this permissible and forbidden mixture is
permissible for him, except if his salary is taken from stolen money,
usurped money, or from forbidden mo ney, such as wine and pig, so if
his salary is from stolen money or from a forbidden money for its type,
it is not permissible ... as explained below:
Forbidden money has different types:
- Haram in and of itself such as wine... It is haram to gift with it, so it is
forbidden (haram) for the owner of the wine and for the one whom
the gift is for. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «
بِعَيْنِهَا Khamr was forbidden in and of itself.” (Narrated by an-Nasa'i)
- Haram for it is a human being's right (Haq) that is stolen or taken
forcefully... This is forbidden (haram) for the thief and the usurper, in
which it is not permissible to gift as it is haram for the one who took
the money from it and for the recipient of the gift. This money is the
right of its possessor, and wherever he is, the money must be returned
to the rightful owner. Some of the evidences for this are:
Ahmad has narrated on authority of Samurah that he said: The
Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
حَقُّ بِهِ، وَيَ
َ
وْ ضَاعَ لَهُ مَتَاعٌ، فَوَجَدَهُ بِيَدِ رَجُلٍ بِعَيْنِهِ، فَهُوَ أ
َ
«رْجِعُ
ِي عَلََ الْبَائِعِ بِالثَّمَنِ
الْمُشْي َ

“If a man has something stolen from him, or loses something, and he
finds it in the possession of a man who bought it, then he has more
right to it, and the one who bought it should ask for his money back
from the one who sold it to him.”
This is a text that shows that stolen money must be returned to its
owner.
Money by force is also guaranteed to the one from whom it was
forced, so the usurper must return whatever taken by force to its
possessor.
It was narrated from Samurah that the Prophet ﷺ said: «
خَذَتْ حَن َّ تُؤَدريَ
َ
أThe hand which takes is responsible till it
pays” [Narrated by at-Tirmidhi and he said it is a Hasan Hadith]
- Haram for batil (invalid) transactions such as the money of usury
and gambling... This is forbidden only for the one who received it, but
the haram does not extend to the one who received the money
through a permissible manner from the one who commits riba or
gambles. For example, selling the one who deals with riba goods and
receiving their cost, the wife receiving her expenses from her husband
who deals with usury, the one who deals with riba brings a gift to one
of his relatives, or any other permissible transactions. The sin for this
haram money applies on the who dealt with usury a nd neither on the
one who attains the price of his goods, nor on the wife receiving her
expenses, or the one receiving a gift, and that is because the haram
does not regard two people in this state. Some evidences on that are:
1. Allah ﷻ said:
[خْرَى
ُ
وَلََ تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلََّ عَلَيْهَا وَلََ تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أ ]
“What each self earns is for itself alone. No burden -bearer can bear
another's burden.” [Al-An'aam, 6:164]

2. The Prophet ﷺ used to deal with the Jews in Madinah, with the
knowledge that most of their money was from riba. Allah ﷻ said:
[حِلهتْ لَهُمْ وَبِصَدرهِمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَثِيًْ
ُ
فَبِظُلْمٍ مِنَ الهذِينَ هَادُوا حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيربَاتٍ أ ا*
مْوَالَ النَّاسِ بِالْبَاطِلِ
َ
كْلِهِمْ أ
َ
خْذِهِمُ الرربَا وَقَدْ نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَأ
َ
وَأ ]
“For wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We made unlawful for
them [certain] good foods which had been lawful to them, and for
their averting from the way of Allah many [people]* And [for] their
taking of usury while they had been forbidden from it, and their
consuming of the people's wealth unjustly.” The Prophet ﷺ used to
accept gifts from them.
It was narrated from Ibn Abbas that a woman from the Jews gave the
Messenger of Allah ﷺ a poisoned sheep, so he sent to her and said:
هْدَتْ لِرَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلىمَ شَاةا
َ
ةا مِنَ الْيَهُودِ أ
َ
نَّ امْرَأ
َ
ورد عَن ابْن عَبَّاسٍ: أ
رْسَلَ إِلَيْهَا، فَقَالَ:
َ
مَسْمُومَةا، فَأ « حْ
َ
قَالَتْ: أ بَبْتُ - وْ أرَدْتُ
َ
أ- إِنْ
ر ي حُ النَّاسَ مِنْكَ.
ُ
كُنْتَ نَبِيًّا فَإِنَّ اللهَ سَيُطْلِعُكَ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ نَبِيًّا أ
What induced you to do what you have done?" She said: "I liked - or
I wanted- if you were a prophet, Allah will tell you, but if you were
not a prophet, I should rid the people of you.”
3. Some of the Sahaba and Tabi'een made it permissible to receive gifts
from the one who takes riba:
a) A man came to Ibn Masoud and said: I have a neighbor who eats
from usury, and he still invites me, so Ibn Masoud said: "the good
deed is for you, and the sin is for him" [Narrated by Abdul-Razzaq as-
San'ani in his Musannaf]
B) Al-Hassan was asked: Can the food of moneychangers be eaten? He
said: "Allah سبحانه وتعاhas told you about the Jews and an -Nasara,
they used to eat from usury, and He made their food permissible for
you" [Narrated by Abdul -Razzaq as -San'ani in his Musannaf on
authority of Ma'mar]

C) It was narrated by Mansour that he said: I told Ibrahim: I went to a
worker's place, so he hosted me and offered me money. Ibrahim said:
"Accept", so Mansour said: the worker takes usury. Ibrahim
said: "Accept as long as you did not command him or help in his
usury" [Narrated by Abdul -Razzaq as -San'ani in his Musannaf on
authority of Ma'mar]
4. However, it is better not to deal with possessors of forbidden
(haram) money that stemmed from usury, so you neither sell them nor
accept a gift from them motivated by piety; so the seller will not
receive profit from his riba -contaminated merchandise, and do not
accept their gift so that it won't be from the money of usury. In this
way, Muslims distance themselves from everything that is impure, and
the Companions of the Messenger ﷺ used to refrain from several
permissible domains (Mubahat) for fear of approaching the haram.
It was narrated from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said: «
سُ
ْ
سَ بِهِ حَذَرًا لِمَا بِهِ البَأ
ْ
نْ يَكُونَ مِنَ المُتَّقِيْ َ حَن َّ يَدَعَ مَا لََ بَأ
َ
العَبْدُ أ No one will
attain complete righteousness until he abandons (certain)
unobjectionable (but doubtful) things so as to remain on his guard
against something objectionable.” [Narrated by at -Tirmidhi, and he
said it is a Hasan Hadith]
In conclusion, it is permissible to sell to someone whose wealth a
mixture of usury and halal, and it is permissible to accept his gift, and it
is permissible to take your salary from him, but it is better that you do
not sell to him or accept his gift, and do not work for him and take
your salary from him. Accordingly, the employee who works in a
permissible job in the public office, and takes his salary from the
employer whose money is a mixture of what is forbidden and
permissible, so his salary is permi ssible for him and he may take it
without embarrassment ... as the sin for usury is not true of the
employee, but is upon the authority that he works with.

I hope that this answer will suffice, and Allah Knows Best and is the
Most Wise.
Your brother,
Abu Yasin
9 Dhul Qi’dah 1441 AH
Corresponding 30/06/2020 CE