Question Summary:
My friend works for an accounting firm, who does all the accounting for movie productions. She has no other source of income and a family to support. The payroll is for the crew, basically the ones who build the sets and such.Is this halaal earnings? And can she keep on working there until she finds another job.

Question Detail:

My friend works for an accounting firm, who does all the accounting for movie productions. She has no other source of income and a family to support. The payroll is for the crew, basically the ones who build the sets and such.Is this halaal earnings? And can she keep on working there until she finds another job.

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh
In today’s times of technological advancements and calculations, the issue of assisting in sin has become very complex. The interdependence of various departments of their technological world cannot be denied. Some departments are directly related to sin, whilst others are indirectly related. In terms of Shari’ah, where do we draw the line and how do we practice on the injunction of ولا تعاونوا على الإثم والعدوان (And do not help each other in sin and aggression)?
عن جابر قال لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم آكل الربا وموكله وكاتبه وشاهديه وقال هم سواء. (رواه مسلم)
Hazrath Jabir (Radhiyallahu Anhu) narrates that Nabi (Sallahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) cursed those who are involved in usury; whether it is the person who is giving usury, receiving it, writing the transaction or witnessing it.
(Sahih Muslim Vol.11 Pg.28 – Dar al-Ma’rifah)

The commentators of Hadith explain that whilst the abovementioned narration explicitly forbids one from writing the transactions of interest, it refers only to those people who write an agreement and prepare the document to evidence the transaction of interest. It does not include those people or accountants who record these transactions later and were not involved in the transaction itself.
وهذا إنما يقع على من واطأ صاحب الربا عليه فأما من كتبه أو شهد القصة ليشهد بها على ما هي عليه ليعمل فيها بالحق فهذا جميل القصد لا يدخل في الوعيد المذكور وإنما يدخل فيه من أعان صاحب الربا بكتابته وشهادته
(Fath al-Bari (Ibn Hajr) Vol.4 Pg.394 – Qadeemi Kutub Khana)
 (Contemporary Fatawa (Mufti Taqi Usmani) Pg.160 – Idara-e-Islamiyat)
Therefore, it will not be permissible for a Muslim to take up a job that is directly involved in interest; whether it involves carrying out interest bearing deals or preparing documents for interest bearing transactions; e.g. working as a manager, cashier, clerk, etc. in a bank, insurance company, etc. The wages acquired through such an occupation will not be permissible. However, an accountant or auditor who records these interest bearing transactions as an event that has already happened, and is not directly involved in these transactions, does not directly fall within the ambit of the warning of the abovementioned Hadith.
It will be permissible to continue working for the accounting firm and the salaries received are halaal.
And Allah knows best
Wassalam
Ml. Ebrahim Desai,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah