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Filing away records of interest transactions

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Fatwaa.com

Assalamu ‘alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu,

 

“I work in the “contracts” department of a company. Its core business is management and seeking human resources within the company.

Thus, there are contracts – regulating such services – between the company I work for and other companies of the group. One of the many clauses states that if they don’t pay us by 30 days from the invoice, an interest rate will be applied according to the days of delay.

My question is: since I put these contracts into the SAP and manage these contracts, saving them and doing the filing, is this permissible for me?

 

Also, there is a chance that I may be transferred in the finance section. Would it be permissible for me to work in that section, knowing that such clauses exist and thus in case of delay I should put in those invoices – or even just check them?”.

 

Jazakallahu khayran,
Wassalam,

Answer

Wa’alaykum as Salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

It is not permissible to be associated in any way with an interest deal. There is a famous narration in Sahih Muslim which mentions that the prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) cursed those who are directly involved in an interest deal:

عن جابر قال لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا وموكله وكاتبه وشاهديه وقال هم سواء. (رواه مسلم)

Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) cursed those who are involved in usury; whether it is the person who is giving usury, receiving it, writing the transaction or witnessing it. (Sahih Muslim 11/28)

Based on this narration it will neither be permissible to write out the interest amounts in the invoices, nor will it be permissible to send an invoice to any client. Yes, once the deal is done and over, to merely file away the contracts will be permissible since you are not practically associated with the interest.

وهذا إنما يقع على من واطأ صاحب الربا عليه فأما من كتبه أو شهد القصة ليشهد بها على ما هي عليه ليعمل فيها بالحق فهذا جميل القصد لا يدخل في الوعيد المذكور وإنما يدخل فيه من أعان صاحب الربا بكتابته وشهادته فينزل منزلة من قال إنما البيع مثل الربا (فتح الباري لابن حجر (4/ 314)

And Allaah Ta’aala knows best

Wassalaam,

Ismail Moosa (Mufti)

عن جابر قال لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا وموكله وكاتبه وشاهديه وقال هم سواء. (رواه مسلم)

This answer was collected from Fatwaa.com which is an excellent Q&A site managed by Mufti Ismail Moosa from South Africa. .

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