Ruling on receiving salary via a riba-based bank and keeping part of it in that bank

Question

Praise be to Allah.

Riba-based banks are
institutions that are based on evil and corruption, because they are based
on a system that is one of the major sins, namely riba. Hence they are
institutions that are opposed to Allaah and His religion. The warning
against consuming riba includes all those who establish these institutions
and participate in them, and deposit their money with them, and who give
permission for them to be established and so on. So let the Muslim beware of
having any connection to these institutions unless he is forced to do so and
cannot find any alternative.

Among the cases of
necessity that exist nowadays is what some countries and public and private
institutions do, where they give their employees their salaries and dues via
riba-based banks. This action is haraam for these parties, because it
strengthens the position of those banks, but there is no sin on the employee
if he receives his salary through those riba-based banks, but that is
subject to certain conditions:

1 – That the employee
cannot find any other way apart from that riba-based bank. If he can receive
his salary directly from his employer or through an Islamic bank, then he
has no excuse.

2 – That he should not
leave any part of his salary with that riba-based bank, otherwise he will be
supporting them.

The solution for the one
who has no choice but to use those banks is to open a current account and
have his salary transferred to it. It is well known that current accounts
are less serious than savings accounts, as current accounts are readily
accessible and the bank cannot make use of these funds.

The scholars of the
Standing Committee said:

There is nothing wrong with
taking salaries that are paid via the bank, because you are taking it in
return for your work for someone other than the bank. But that is subject to
the condition that you do not leave it in the bank after it has been
transferred to you because of the interest. End quote.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn
Baaz, Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal al-Shaykh, Shaykh
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd.

Fataawa al-Lajnah
al-Daa’imah (13/288, 289).

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih
al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

There are some
organizations, companies and others, who make their employees open bank
accounts in order to transfer their salaries to the bank. If a person cannot
receive his salary except by this means, there is nothing wrong with it, and
he may open an account, but he should not open an account with his own
money, i.e., he should not put a penny of his own money in it, but with
regard to receiving his salary via this means, there is nothing wrong with
it. End quote.

Liqaa’aat al-Baab
il-Maftooh (111/question no. 10).

There is nothing wrong with
leaving money in the riba-based bank in order to protect it, but that is
subject to certain conditions which have been explained in the answer to
question no. 22392.

And Allaah knows best.