Is it permissible to work in a bank and to assist in building a church or a temple or to contract to build a temple?

Answer

How can it ever be permissible to work in an institution of kufr and shirk such as a Christian church, Hindu temple and the like? The primary mission of Nubuwwat was the destruction of kufr and shirk. So how can it ever be permissible for a Muslim to aid and abet a church with his labour and expertise?

It is also mentioned in the Kutub of Fiqh that if a kaafir asks the direction of the temple, then showing him the direction is kufr. When only gastrulating with the hand to show the direction of a church is akin to kufr, how can it ever be permissible to build a church, work for a church or assist in any way to further the objectives of the church of kufr and shirk? The text in Raddul Muhtaar, must necessarily be set aside and dismissed as an error of judgment. It may not be presented as daleel to justify and halaalize I'aanat alal ma'siyat which is explicitly declared haraam by the Nass of the Qur'aan Majeed.

It is indeed lamentable that a Mufti refrains from applying his mind, and cites just any hogwash as this palpable error as a daleel for issuing a fatwa of permissibility for an obnoxious practice which the heart of a Mu'min violently repels. The Mufti has acquitted himself with extreme short-sightedness and has not even attempted to apply his mind to the issue. Just any juz'i in the kutub may not be digged out to justify and halaalize what is clearly and blatantly evil and haraam. Working in any capacity whatsoever for a church or a riba bank is haraam. The earnings too are haraam.

The Mufti should be conscious of the thin ice he is skating on when issuing fatwas. Without Taqwa, a mufti will mislead people and be a victim of his nafsaaniyat. Furthermore, the mind of a Mufti should be independent, not anchored to customs and norms, nor should he be concerned with criticism or any other worldly set-back or loss of donations, etc. when issuing fatwas. He should not wade through the kutub searching for rare and dubious narrations to placate the whims and fancies of those who pose questions. He should be a beacon of light and a proclaimer of the Haqq to defend the Shariah. His job is to solidify the bond between the servant and Allah Ta'ala, not to open avenues for baatil, haraam and futility.

Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Rahmatullah alayh) was averse to written examinations which are customary in the Madaaris. Commenting on the system of written examinations of the Madaaris, Hadhrat Thanvi said:

"My opinion in regard to Imtihaan (Examinations) is that the Imtihaan should be taqreeri (oral). The oral imtihaan quickly reveals the student's ability and potential. The purpose is to see whether the student has understood what he has learnt, not whether he is a Haafiz of the Kitaab or not. Thus, in oral examinations there is ease for the student, and the objective of the Imtihaan is also achieved.

On the contrary, in the customary method, i.e. written Imtihaan, there is nothing but hardship. When I was studying in Deoband I had to spend the entire night in preparation for the Imtihaan. I would be deprived of sleep. My health would suffer. As long as the whole kitaab was not studied one could not write the examination.

On the basis of these experiences, when I was in Khanpur I formulated simple rules and regulations for the Imtihaan. Outstanding results were obtained.

Now nothing is in my control. I can only proffer advice. I have explained to the Authorities of the Madrasahs about the (ills of the) current system of written Imtihaan in the Madaaris. The entire kitaab has to be swotted. Only then can a candidate confidently write his Imtihaan. However, no one is interested." (End of Hadhrat Thanvi's malfooth)

Entrenched customs blind even wellgrounded Ulama who sometimes fail to understand simple realities to which their attention is drawn by even great luminaries. Hadhrat Thanvi laments the fact that none of the Madaaris was able to understand the benefits of the oral system of exa m i n a t i o n s . T h e Madaaris authorities due to custom fail to understand the disadvantages of the written form of examination and the advantages of the oral system. When viewing the bid'aat and the futility introduced in the Madaaris, especially of the current age, it is not at all surprising that no one will be able to understand the wisdom stated by Hadhrat Thanvi (Rahmatullah alayh).