Can I Work as Software Developer in the Investment Bank?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Question
Is it permissible for me to work as a software developer in a multinational investment bank and financial services holding company?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate. May Allah Most High guide us to that which pleases Him, forgive us for our shortcomings, and alleviate our difficulties, Amin.
The work you described would be permissible, although it would be best to avoid, especially given the nature of banks and the involvement of interest.
The reason this would be permitted is that your actual work, i.e., software development is permissible. If you are designing specialized software, it cannot be for the exclusive use of usurious transactions.
Similarly, making and using the software would be permitted if it relates to banks in general, such as a web page, instead of a service exclusively related to interest, and Allah knows best.
If based on the above, you determine that your work is impermissible, I would humbly advise you to keep your current employment and that you actively search for work in a similar income bracket. It would be best to change your work when you find a suitable opportunity, and may Allah reward you for your willingness to take the righteous path.
For more, please see:
Is It Considered Assisting in Sin to Develop Software for Casinos, Banks, or Insurance Companies?
I pray this is of benefit.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar, Shaykh Taha Karaan.
Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.
He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.
Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and pursuing his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.
