Fatwa ID: 07818
Answered by Alimah Shireen Mangera-Badat
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum. I’m a master’s student working on a group project for my assignment. The aim is to invite speakers from ESG and charity companies to talk about poverty in the UK. I was not tasked with inviting speakers. A few days before the event I found out that two of the four speakers are from banks. So, I talked to my classmates and said I could not really help much as this is promoting Riba.
Can we tell them to only talk about their experience in the ESG sector and not about working in a bank as well as not to promote any job opportunities? My classmates were understanding and said I did not have to attend the post-event. Since I must promote the event I removed the names of the banks. I cannot pull out of this assignment as I will fail but I also worry that if I put it on my CV it is haram, or my degree becomes haram. My assessment is not on the event itself but rather just reflecting on the experience.
So my questions are:
1. I have already informed my classmates about them not talking about banking or promoting it to attendees, is that permissible?
2. How can I go on about my assessment? I plan to include in my assessment about this ethical concern.
3. If I add this experience to my CV do I remove the bank names?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
May the Almighty help you continue your path of righteousness.
In addressing your first question regarding bringing in guests to talk about the poverty concerns in the UK:
1. You are right in asking the guests not to talk about interest or anything related to Riba. Allah has mentioned in Surah Maida “And cooperate in righteousness and piety, and do not cooperate in sin and aggression (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:2)
2. Mentioning ethical concerns:- one manner it can be addressed is through your initial introduction. You could reflect on your own experiences, drawing importance to your faith, on poverty and the various verses from the Quran, such as in Surah Baqarah:2 “Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is in one who… gives wealth, despite love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveller, those who ask for help and for freeing slaves (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:177) whilst introducing the speakers’ focus on the topic of poverty, which will gently remind the speakers of their aim of their attendance
3. Including this project on your CV would be permissible if you focus on your role and omit details you’re uncomfortable with. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us to act with intention:
Narrated ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying, “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So, whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.” (Bukhari 1)
Since you intend to highlight your experience with ethical integrity, I’m sure you will find the words to put pen to paper.
I hope that this answers the question.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Alimah Shireen Mangera-Badat
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References
حَدَّثَنَا الْحُمَيْدِيُّ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَايَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ ، قَالَ : أَخْبَرَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيُّ ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَلْقَمَةَ بْنَ وَقَّاصٍ اللَّيْثِيَّ ، يَقُولُ : سَمِعْتُ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ، قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، يَقُولُ : ” إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى، فَمَنْ كَانَتْ هِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى دُنْيَا يُصِيبُهَا أَوْ إِلَى امْرَأَةٍ يَنْكِحُهَا، فَهِجْرَتُهُ إِلَى مَا هَاجَرَ إِلَيْهِ “
