What is the ruling on subscribing to and benefiting from the employee savings fund, in which the company deposits an amount equal to what the employee saves, given that there are two options: one with interest and the other without?
This transaction has two forms:
The first: The company deducts a portion of the employee's salary as a trust () which it does not dispose of, and what the company pays the employee in addition to this deduction is considered a form of assistance. This transaction is permissible, provided it is free from usurious interest.
The second: The company deducts a portion of the salary as a loan, which it disposes of and invests for its own benefit. In this case, the additional amount paid to the employee in return for this loan becomes explicit usury (riba sareeh). This is the case with most companies. It has been stated in "Fatawa of the Permanent Committee" that the transaction of a savings fund is usurious because what the worker contributes to the fund is considered a loan for which the owner receives interest.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Original fatwa ID
- 17348
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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