Fatwa ID: 08923
Answered by: Alimah Maryam Badshah
Question:
I am writing to humbly seek your guidance regarding a career decision I am currently facing, to ensure it aligns with Islamic principles.
Background:
I have been working in the IT industry for over 5 years, primarily within the BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) segment. However, I would like to highlight that for the first 4.5 years of my career, I was never involved in any interest-based work – my role was limited to business and system analysis in an international payments project for western union company that did not deal directly with riba (interest) or tax systems.
However, due to organizational circumstances and lack of available projects, I was compelled out of desperation to accept a role on a banking project for the past 9–10 months, which did involve working with systems related to tax and interest. Alhamdulillah, with Allah’s help, I was able to exit from that project recently, and currently, I do not have any assigned work in my organization.
Unfortunately, if I accept any new project within my current company, it is very likely that I will once again be placed on interest-based banking projects, which I sincerely wish to avoid for the sake of my Deen. To prevent that, the only option I am left with is to either get another job or stay unemployed for uncertain period.
Current Opportunity:
By Allah’s mercy, I have received an external job offer from a company called AVIZVA, which is a Healthcare Technology firm. The company builds software products and platforms primarily in the US Healthcare Sector for clients such as:
Medical Health Plans
Dental and Vision Plan Providers
Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs)
Medicare Plan Providers
Third-Party Administrators (TPAs)
The role is technical and analytical in nature, and my responsibilities would include:
Requirements gathering
Writing product and functional specifications
Assisting in UI/UX design
Collaborating with developers and QA teams
Defining system flows and API integrations
Supporting system testing
Mentoring junior analysts
Importantly, I will not be involved in selling insurance, handling claims, or setting insurance policies. However, I understand that conventional insurance itself may have Islamic concerns related to gharar (uncertainty) and riba (interest), and I wish to seek clarity on whether indirectly supporting such institutions through software design is permissible.
Request for Guidance:
Given the above context, I kindly request your fatwa and guidance on:
Whether working in a technical/business analyst role for a company that develops software for conventional insurance providers is permissible in Islam.
Whether my income in such a role would be halal, considering I am not involved in underwriting, selling, or promoting insurance directly.
Whether this situation would still fall under the Quranic principle of ta’awun ‘ala al-ithm (cooperation in sin), even if my role is indirect and focused on systems and processes.
I sincerely want to align my career path with what is most pleasing to Allah (SWT), and avoid doubtful matters to the best of my ability. Your expert scholarly guidance will help me make an informed, faith-aligned decision.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
When it comes to employment, it is impermissible to be hired to perform or promote inherently haram activities, like alcohol or riba (usury). It is permissible to be hired in a halal capacity for something that may possibly be used for impermissible ends. For example, it is permissible to be hired to write lyrics and poems even though one knows it will be used for singing, as writing poetry is permissible, or to build or repair a church, as building is inherently permissible.
Your employment duties at this healthcare technology firm would be considered halal as long as you are not developing or promoting any part of their system which will be used to sell insurance policies or encourage any other haram activities. It will be permissible for you to work at this company as an analyst on sections which include halal aspects and are not inherently haram, such as software maintenance. However, it would be better to change occupation if the opportunity arises where you can move to a halal company or department.
References:
وَيُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ السِّلَاحِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَغْيِ وَفِي عَسَاكِرِهِمْ؛ لِأَنَّهُ إعَانَةٌ لَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَعْصِيَةِ، وَلَا يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ مَا يُتَّخَذُ مِنْهُ السِّلَاحُ كَالْحَدِيدِ وَنَحْوِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَصِيرُ سِلَاحًا إلَّا بِالْعَمَلِ وَنَظِيرُهُ أَنَّهُ يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ الْمَزَامِيرِ، وَلَا يُكْرَهُ بَيْعُ مَا يُتَّخَذُ مِنْهُ الْمِزْمَارُ، وَهُوَ الْخَشَبُ وَالْقَصَبُ، وَكَذَا بَيْعُ الْخَمْرِ بَاطِلٌ، وَلَا يَبْطُلُ بَيْعُ مَا يُتَّخَذُ مِنْهُ، وَهُوَ الْعِنَبُ كَذَا هَذَا وَاَللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.7, pg.142, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
وَعَلَى هَذَا يُخَرَّجُ الِاسْتِئْجَارُ عَلَى الْمَعَاصِي أَنَّهُ لَا يَصِحُّ لِأَنَّهُ اسْتِئْجَارٌ عَلَى مَنْفَعَةٍ غَيْرِ مَقْدُورَةِ الِاسْتِيفَاءِ شَرْعًا كَاسْتِئْجَارِ الْإِنْسَانِ لِلَّعِبِ وَاللَّهْوِ، وَكَاسْتِئْجَارِ الْمُغَنِّيَةِ، وَالنَّائِحَةِ لِلْغِنَاءِ، وَالنَّوْحِ بِخِلَافِ الِاسْتِئْجَارِ لِكِتَابَةِ الْغِنَاءِ وَالنَّوْحِ أَنَّهُ جَائِزٌ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَمْنُوعَ عَنْهُ نَفْسُ الْغِنَاءِ، وَالنَّوْحِ لَا كِتَابَتُهُمَا وَكَذَا لَوْ اسْتَأْجَرَ رَجُلًا لِيَقْتُلَ لَهُ رَجُلًا أَوْ لِيَسْجُنَهُ أَوْ لِيَضْرِبَهُ ظُلْمًا وَكَذَا كُلُّ إجَارَةٍ وَقَعَتْ لِمَظْلَمَةٍ؛ لِأَنَّهُ اسْتِئْجَارٌ لِفِعْلِ الْمَعْصِيَةِ فَلَا يَكُونُ الْمَعْقُودُ عَلَيْهِ مَقْدُورَ الِاسْتِيفَاءِ شَرْعًا فَإِنْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ بِحَقٍّ بِأَنْ اسْتَأْجَرَ إنْسَانًا لِقَطْعِ عُضْوٍ جَازَ.
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.4, pg.189, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
قَوْلُهُ وَجَازَ تَعْمِيرُ كَنِيسَةٍ) قَالَ فِي الْخَانِيَّةِ: وَلَوْ آجَرَ نَفْسَهُ لِيَعْمَلَ فِي الْكَنِيسَةِ وَيُعَمِّرَهَا لَا بَأْسَ بِهِ لِأَنَّهُ لَا مَعْصِيَةَ فِي عَيْنِ الْعَمَلِ
Raddul Muhtār (Vol.6, pg.391, Dār Al-Fiqr)
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham