How is it to pray salah behind someone who works in the bank?

· 23 Rabiʻ I 1435 AH1 min readFatwa 27904English
Finance and Commerce

Question

Is it permissible to offer salah behind a person who works in non Islamic bank.If no then what about us who in one or the other way are part of banking system be it in the form of bank accounts with money or govt provident fund which is subjected to interest

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

We understand from your query that you are not referring to a person appointed as a regular imam in a masjid.

If some working class people perform salah by themselves, and if one person is required to lead the salah, if he is involved in some sinful act, for example dealing in interest act, he should decline being an imam. This is a self-conscious (diyanat) decision one has to make. In principle, the Imamat of a faasiq is makrooh. [1]

A faasiq is defined as that person who is engaged in some major sin as explained above. [2]

If a person is unsure of the nature of his act, for example working in a bank, he should enquire from the Ulama. Whilst some of the employment activities of a conventional bank is prohibited, that is not so for all forms of employment in a conventional bank. [3]

In any event, if a person involved in some sinful activity performs/leads salah, the salah will be valid.[4]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Zakariya Memon

Student Darul Iftaa
Chatham, Canada

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

Daruliftaa.net

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

[1]

(1) (وَيُكْرَهُ) تَنْزِيهًا (إمَامَةُ عَبْدٍ) (وَأَعْرَابِيٌّ) (وَفَاسِقٌ وَأَعْمَى) (قَوْلُهُ وَفَاسِقٌ) مِنْ الْفِسْقِ: وَهُوَ الْخُرُوجُ عَنْ الِاسْتِقَامَةِ، وَلَعَلَّ الْمُرَادَ بِهِ مَنْ يَرْتَكِبُ الْكَبَائِرَ كَشَارِبِ الْخَمْرِ، وَالزَّانِي وَآكِلِ الرِّبَا وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ، كَذَا فِي الْبُرْجَنْدِيِّ إسْمَاعِيلُ. الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (1/ 559)

(2) فتاوى محموديه ج6 ص124- (جامعه فاروقيه)

[2]

(3)كفايت المفتي ج3 ص105- (دار الاشاعت)

[3]

(4)احسن الفتاوى ج8 ص100- (سعيد)

(5)فتاوى عثماني ج3 ص394/395- (مكتبة معارف القران)

(6) فتاوى عثماني ج3 ص269- (مكتبة معارف القران)

[4]

(7) كفايت المفتي ج3 ص103- (دار الاشاعت)

Answered by
Zakariya Memon
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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