What is the ruling on working in a job that carries out video identification?

Question: 343590

I am a student and also work in Germany in a company that carries out video identification. If, for example, people want to activate their SIM card or open a bank account, they first have to be identified by video chat using their ID card. And I'm the one who has to identify the people. Now people are also calling who want to take out loans from various banks, i.e. who are asking for credit. And since we work with these banks, our job is to identify these people for these banks. Am I allowed to do this work where I am required to identify these people so that the bank can give them these loans / interest? I don't work directly for the bank, but without our identification process they cannot apply for a loan online.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah and his family.

The ruling on working in a job that carries out video identification

It is permissible to work in video identification of people for the purpose of offering permissible services to them, such as activating a SIM card for a mobile phone. But it is not permissible to identify them for the purpose of offering haraam services to them, such as taking out a riba-based loan, or becoming a member of a casino or gambling hall and the like, because of the prohibition on helping in sin.

Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

{And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and transgression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty} [al-Maa’idah 5:2].

If the riba-based loan cannot be given without identifying the person, then this identification is helping directly in that which is haraam .

Muslim (1598) narrated that Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) cursed the one who consumes riba, the one who pays it, the one who writes it down and the two who witness it, and he said: “They are all the same.”

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This clearly indicates that it is haraam to write down the transaction between the two who engage in riba, and to be a witness to that. It also indicates that it is haraam to help in sin". (Sharh Muslim 11/26).

But if your work in this company is limited to helping in things that are permissible, there is nothing wrong with your continuing in this job. But if you have no option but to help in that which is haraam, then you must leave this job, and whoever gives up something for the sake of Allah, Allah will compensate him with something better than it.

And Allah knows best.

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