Working for a Company that Sells Products to Banks and Casinos

It would be permitted to work for a company that manufactures automated coin-sorting and coin-counting devices, even if the company’s customers include banks and casinos amongst others.

Companies that manufacture coin and money counting and sorting devices usually have many customers. Their customers are generally those who take in large quantities of coins and loose cash, such as casinos, theatres, arcades, banks, financial institutions, grocers, markets and other shops. As such, their revenue is based on dealing with all kinds of businesses. Given this, all their proceeds cannot be deemed unlawful.

Moreover, contemporary scholars state that transacting with a bank is permitted. They explain that not all the money stored in a bank is interest and unlawful money, rather it comprises of money deposited by the depositors in various accounts, initial capital put in by the owners of the bank and also money acquired via interest-based transactions. In fact, interest money is usually less in comparison to the other two types of money. Thus, the money stored in a bank is a mixture of Halal and Haram, with the majority of it being Halal money.

As such, if one sells an item to a bank, and the bank pays from this mixture of wealth, then it is permitted for one to transact with the bank and take this money. Yes, if a bank was to pay purely from the portion of interest it has in its possession, which is rare, then it would not be permitted for one to deal with the bank.

Given this, the revenue generated by a company that sells products to banks is Halal, hence working for such a company would also be permitted. Yes, if the company’s sole customers are casinos, clubs, pubs and other Haram industries, or the majority of its revenue is generated from selling products to such businesses, then it would not be permitted to work for such a company, given that one’s salary will be paid from profits made through dealings with them. (See: al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya 5/343)