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IslamQA: The income of a father who works in a usurious bank

Salaam. My father works in a bank, to which we all know that no bank is free from usury. When I have enough courage to tell him that his job involves usury, he made an excuse that it is totally fine. My question is, does this make his effort to make a living for the family haraam or will God Forgive him for trying to sustain his family?

Alaikumassalam wa rahmatullah,

It is your father’s duty to seek other employment. The money he earns is not entirely haram, it is a mix of halal and haram since the income of a bank comes from various sources, both halal and haram.

As for you benefiting from that money, according to a fatwa from the Qatari Fatwa Authority it is permitted for the child to benefit from such income since it is a mix of halal and haram. Benefiting from mixed parental income is not clearly forbidden in Islam, although you should try to encourage him to purify his income.

As for whether God accepts his excuses and forgives him, this depends on his intentions and his ability to find other jobs. If he prefers working at a bank because that is where he can make the most profit, then that is more morally condemnable than if he has no other job prospects.

Source:

And God knows best.
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Anonymous
Anonymous
5 years ago

Thank you for your respond. I do want to tell him to seek another job, but he is currently in his late 60’s and will soon retire. I have told him long time ago to retire, but did not clearly say that he should quit his job (he has a silent ego which he never shows, but somehow I can feel it from him), that’s why I stopped telling him and thinking about it. I hope Allah Forgives us for this. I do have a feeling that he knows bank uses usury that is haraam, but denies the truth. He prays everyday, though. I guess that doesn’t mean he will accept anything that Islam taught us (maybe not yet).