Is a Senior Data Analytics Role at a Buy Now, Pay Later Company Permissible?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Carr
Question
I have been offered a position as Head of Data Analytics at a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) company. The company provides financing for consumer electronics, including phones, televisions, and refrigerators.
A customer may wish to purchase a phone from one of the company’s partner stores for $2,000, but does not have the funds to pay up front. The company assesses the customer’s eligibility through a scoring process and, if approved, pays the store for the phone. The total amount repaid by the customer is $2,100.
As Head of Data Analytics, my role would involve helping the business make data-driven decisions, improving operational efficiency, and supporting the company’s overall growth and performance.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
Thank you for the question.
If the company’s revenue is primarily derived from interest-bearing financing, a senior management role that helps optimize and expand that business is impermissible. The mention of credit scoring, customer approval, and the company paying the store on the customer’s behalf indicates a financing arrangement rather than a genuine resale transaction.
If, however, the financing is structured as a genuine Shariah-compliant sale, it would be permissible to accept such a position.
The Governing Principle
The principle governing the issue in question is based on the Quranic verse:
“And assist one another in righteousness and piety, but do not assist one another in sin and transgression.” [Quran, 5:2]
Rather, your role in optimization is to directly endorse and promote the product. As the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The one who guides to good is like that of its doer.” [Tirmidhi]
Therefore, the opposite also holds true – you will share in the blame for that which you help promote and facilitate.
A Word on Using One’s Qualifications
Your qualifications are a blessing from Allah. Strive to use them in a manner that is pleasing to Him, Most High. By doing so, you will be demonstrating true gratitude for His favors. Allah says, “And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more.’” [Quran 14:7]
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Muhammad Carr
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Related Answers
- Can I Work in a Store That Offers a Buy Now, Pay Later Option? — A ruling confirming that working at a store where customers may choose a BNPL payment option is permissible, with an explanation of how a two-price deferred arrangement differs from riba.
- Is It Permissible to Work in Sales if Financing Is Involved? — A ruling confirming that a sales role at a company where financing is offered is permissible when commission comes from lawful sources and the primary activity is not interest-based, with guidance on when directly assisting an interest transaction becomes impermissible.
- Working in a Car Dealership That Offers Financing — A ruling on the permissibility of working at a dealership where some customers finance through interest-bearing loans, distinguishing between the agent’s role in a lawful sale and direct involvement in an impermissible transaction.
- Is It Permissible to Invest in Companies That Carry Interest-Based Debt? — A ruling on the conditions under which investing in or engaging commercially with companies that carry interest-based debt may or may not be permissible, with guidance on the thresholds that determine the ruling.
Shaykh Muhammad Carr has dedicated his life to studying and transmitting our beautiful deen. His studies have taken him around the globe, where he has benefitted from the guidance of many luminaries. Under the guidance of his teachers – Shaykh Taha Karan, Shaykh Yaseen Abbas, Shaykh Muadh Ali, and many others – Shaykh Muhammad has grown to appreciate the beauty and benefits of diverse scholarship. He completed his memorization of the Qur’an at Dar al-Ulum Zakariyyah in September 1997 and received an Alimiyya Degree in 2006 from DUAI (Darul Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah). He is also affiliated with Masjid Auwal in Bo Kaap, Cape Town (the oldest mosque in South Africa), where he serves as a co-imam, and Dar Al-Safa, where he has taught since 2018. As a teacher, he imparts the wisdom of our heritage and tradition by opening the door to students. As an imam, he has the unique opportunity to serve his community in daily life.
In addition to his roles as a teacher and imam, Shaykh Muhammad Carr has contributed significantly to the administrative and advisory aspects of Islamic institutions. Since 2023, he has served as the Administrative Director at The Imam Kurani Institute, contributing to the institution’s growth and development. He continues to pursue traditional Islamic Sciences, possessing a keen interest in Islamic Contract Law and Finance. Shaykh Muhammad has been a Shari‘a Board Member for Islamic Asset Management & Insurance Companies since 2001, aligning financial practices with Islamic principles.
