Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Respected Mr.Burhan, salaam alaikum

Thank you for your invaluable help that you are doing by explaining what is right and what is wrong with evidence from Quran. And most thanks to Allah for making me come across this site.

I hav finished college and i worried that my income should insha allah be 100% halaal.

I appears to me as if whatever job i take i will hav to help sin in some way.

But now i am about to get job as a computer operator in a chartered accountancy firm.

citibank is a client of the firm, and the main work that I will be doing is for Citibank.

Every bank/company/business has to legally pay tax, so they hav to get their accounts audited.

So they hav to get services of auditor, and client (citibank) will pay the auditor (my employer) for it.

But i am an employee of my firm and NOT citibank.But my work is to handle the records of the customers of citibank and to check whether they are in accordance with the accounts of the bank. you would be knowing that the work of audit is like investigating, ensuring that the accounts do not contain any errors/manipulations. So the citibank/any bank, compulsorily requires service of an auditor for paying tax, and preparing annual report to head office. So i mean auditing is unavoidable for any organization. So if the job i am doing is processing/verifying the records of a bank (while i am still an employee of the auditor and not Bank) then is that job halaal for me. Please reply me. Also IF my employer (auditor) has other clients who are wine producing companies, movie producing companies then is it halaal for me to verify the records of those haraam companies.

In essence my question is: Are the EMPLOYERS of an auditor free from the sin of the CLIENTS of the auditor. Pls reply as elaborate as possible, quoting as many examples as possible. I am sure many others muslims will also hav such doubts abt their jobs. - Thank you very much for your service. 

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Answer:

Auditing banks

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His  forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Narrated Hadrat Ali that he heard Allah's Messenger (saws) cursed those who took usury, those who paid it, those who recorded it, and those who refused to give sadaqah.

Since the basic or prime business of the auditing firm is not interest or haraam based, it would be deemed legal and halaal to work in an audit firm.

The Prophet (saws) prophesied: “A time is certainly coming to mankind, when only the receiver of usury will remain, and if one does not receive it, some of its vapour will reach him.” ( The Prophet (saws) said that a time will come, when even if one tries his utmost to stay away from ‘riba’, the whole society and surroundings will be so much engrossed in ‘riba’, that some of its vapour or dust will reach this pious person. Unfortunately, we live in those times today.)

But if you want to further satisfy your heart, and intend to stay absolutely away from any sort of ‘riba’ or its dealings, it would be purer and better if you sought or looked for a job that does not deal with the haraam at all. Allah Subhanah will reward you generously from His Unlimited Bounty in the life of this world, and honor you with the best in the Hereafter for striving to obey His Commands and Guidance, and for fearing His punishment for even being associated with the haraam.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan