Is It Permissible to Work as a Financial Crime Analyst?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Is it permissible to work as a financial crime analyst, given that the job involves investigating money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes within banks or financial institutions?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I hope you are in good health and faith. Thank you for your question.

It is permissible for you to work as a financial crime analyst. The nature of your job and work is permissible in and of itself. You will work to investigate laundering, fraud, and other related crimes.

In principle, one looks at two factors to determine the Sharia compliance of a job:

1. The nature of the job description, whether it is permissible or not. The work you will do involves investigating laundering, fraud, and other related crimes.
2. The majority of the source of the funds from which the employees of the bank are remunerated. You can assume you will be remunerated from the depositor’s funds, admin and service fees, etc.

[Ibn Maza, al-Muhit al-Burhani; al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya; Taqi Usmani, Fiqh al-Buyu‘]

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. In sha Allah, you will receive guidance and direction.

Related 

• What is the Ruling of Developing a Supporting Application for a Bank?

Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersAcademy (seekersguidance.org), such as those offered in the Islamic Studies Curriculum (seekersguidance.org), and build your way up, completing each course as you progress?

I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

 ولو آجر نفسه ليعمل في الكنيسة ويعمرها فلا بأس به؛ إذ ليس في نفس العمل معصية

الكتاب: المحيط البرهاني في الفقه النعماني: فقه الإمام أبي حنيفة

المؤلف: برهان الدين أبو المعالي محمود بن أحمد بن عبد العزيز بن عمر بن مَازَةَ البخاري الحنفي (ت ٦١٦ هـ)

المحقق: عبد الكريم سامي الجندي

الناشر: دار الكتب العلمية، بيروت – لبنان

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.