Fatwa No : 77595
Employment in State Bank

Employment in State Bank

Assalamu Alaikum,
I am from India. My question is, is it halal for someone to work for the central bank of their country? Like, is it halal for someone from Pakistan to work as an officer in the State Bank of Pakistan in its economic and policy research department? The important thing to note about this is that this bank is like a personal bank of the central government. The public cannot deposit their money in it nor can they borrow from it. Yes, this bank makes policies for the country's economy, sets interest rates. And when the time comes, it also provides loans to the government and not only to the government but also to other banks in the country. My question is, is its ruling also in the category of a bank or is it like the Ministry of Finance and other government institutions...

Please answer this as soon as possible.

Owais
Jazak Allah Khair

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

It is not permissible to take up any job that is directly related to interest-bearing transactions, in any department of the country's central bank although there is scope for taking up any other job.

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

کما فی صحیح البخاری: باب آكل الربا وشاهده وكاتبه وقوله تعالى: {الذين يأكلون الربا لا يقومون إلا كما يقوم الذي يتخبطه الشيطان من المس ذلك بأنهم قالوا: إنما البيع مثل الربا، وأحل الله البيع وحرم الربا، فمن جاءه موعظة من ربه فانتهى فله ما سلف وأمره إلى الله، ومن عاد فأولئك أصحاب النار هم فيها خالدون} [البقرة: 275] (ج3 صـ59 ط: دار طوق النجاۃ)۔
وفی صحیح مسلم: عن عبد الله، قال: «لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا ومؤكله»، قال: قلت: وكاتبه، وشاهديه؟ قال: «إنما نحدث بما سمعنا» الحدیث (ج3 صـ1218 باب لعن آكل الربا ومؤكله ط: دار احیاء التراث العربی)۔