Fatwa No : 81931
Ruling on the Salaries of Bank Employees

Ruling on the Salaries of Bank Employees

What do the esteemed Islamic scholars and respected Muftis say regarding the following matter: A certain religious cleric stated during his Friday sermon that the salaries of bank employees are haram (forbidden) because they are sourced from interest (riba). Based on this claim, detailed answers are sought regarding the following points: (1) In Pakistan, if the salaries of bank employees are considered haram because they are derived from interest, then shouldn't the salaries of all other government employees also be haram? This is because all salaries ultimately originate from the same source. All banks in Pakistan are under the supervision of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), which collects funds from all banks and earns interest from them. Furthermore, it takes loans from the World Bank and pays interest on them. The income of the State Bank is transferred to the national treasury. From this treasury, the government allocates funds to the provinces, including the payment of salaries to government employees. Thus, the root of these salaries is also tied to interest-based income. The question, therefore, is: Are only the salaries of bank employees haram, or are the salaries of all government employees also haram? And if the salaries of non-bank government employees are halal, what is the evidence for this distinction?

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

Those individuals who are directly involved in interest-based transactions and actively facilitate them (such as bank cashiers and managers), and are paid specifically for such tasks — their income is clearly haram (forbidden) according to explicit Islamic texts, and there is no doubt about its prohibition.
As for those who are employed in government or semi-government institutions other than banks, their salaries are not considered unlawful for two main reasons: Firstly, because they are not directly involved in interest-based transactions, nor do they facilitate them. Secondly, because the government treasury is not funded solely through interest received from banks. There are many other legitimate sources of income as well — such as revenues from PTCL, PIA, Pakistan Steel Mills, Pakistan Railways, rent from government-owned properties, and various forms of taxation collected from the public.
Therefore, the salaries paid to these employees are largely derived from lawful sources, with only a minor portion — if any — possibly coming from interest. Even if the funds are mixed, the use of such mixed income is permissible and not inherently unlawful.
Hence, rather than making baseless objections, it is essential to first understand the true reality of the matter.

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

کمافي الدر المختار: (لا تصح الإجارة لعسب التيس) وهو نزوه على الإناث (و) لا (لأجل المعاصي مثل الغناء والنوح والملاهي) ولو أخذ بلا شرط يباح اھ (6/ 55)
وفي حاشية ابن عابدين: وفي المنتقى: امرأة نائحة أو صاحبة طبل أو زمر اكتسبت مالا ردته على أربابه إن علموا وإلا تتصدق به، وإن من غير شرط فهو لها: قال الإمام الأستاذ لا يطيب، والمعروف كالمشروط اهـ (6/ 55)-
وفي الفتاوى الهندية: أهدى إلى رجل شيئا أو أضافه إن كان غالب ماله من الحلال فلا بأس إلا أن يعلم بأنه حرام فإن كان الغالب هو الحرام ينبغي أن لا يقبل الهدية ولا يأكل الطعام إلا أن يخبره بأنه حلال ورثته أو استقرضته من رجل كذا في الينابيع اھ (5/ 342) -