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Opening an account at a conventional bank for personal use

فتح حساب في بنك تجاري للاستخدام الشخصي

A question about opening an account at a conventional bank for personal use, in which Jordan's General Iftaa Department answered that if he has a choice, a Muslim may not open an account at an interest-based bank, even without interest, because it aids usury, but that it is permitted in pressing need when an Islamic bank is not possible. The Department answered that if a Muslim has a choice, he may not open an account at interest-based banks even if it pays no interest, because doing so aids usury (riba), citing the verse commanding cooperation in righteousness and forbidding cooperation in sin and aggression in Surat al-Ma'ida 5:2. It explained that these banks invest money in forbidden interest-based dealings, so depositing with them aids what is forbidden. It said that if there is a pressing need to open an account at an interest-based bank and it cannot be opened at an Islamic bank, there is no objection, and it referred to its fatwa no. 471 on bank interest and prizes.

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Summary

A question about opening an account at a conventional bank for personal use, in which Jordan's General Iftaa Department answered that if he has a choice, a Muslim may not open an account at an interest-based bank, even without interest, because it aids usury, but that it is permitted in pressing need when an Islamic bank is not possible. 1

The question

The questioner asked about opening an account at a commercial bank to deposit money and use it for personal matters such as transfers and electronic payments. 1

The answer

The Department answered that if a Muslim has a choice, he may not open an account at interest-based banks even if it pays no interest, because doing so aids usury (riba), citing the verse commanding cooperation in righteousness and forbidding cooperation in sin and aggression in Surat al-Ma'ida 5:2. 1 It explained that these banks invest money in forbidden interest-based dealings, so depositing with them aids what is forbidden. 1 It said that if there is a pressing need to open an account at an interest-based bank and it cannot be opened at an Islamic bank, there is no objection, and it referred to its fatwa no. 471 on bank interest and prizes. 1

About this record

Jordan's General Iftaa Department published this fatwa on aliftaa.jo as no. 4282, dated 23 February 2026. 1 The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.

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Riba in the rulings: the forbidden excess in exchange and in delay, its kinds, its causes and its rulings

People and things also explored

A charity accepting a commercial bank's support in return for thanking it in posts· A loan whose interest is paid by another party· Administrative fees on an interest-free loan card· Arranged invoices to obtain cash from Islamic banks· Buying an online game account in instalments· Buying gold bars through an app· Court-awarded legal interest· Financing a Ramadan iftar invitation in instalments

Sources

  1. Jordan's General Iftaa Department (aliftaa.jo) , fatwa 4282

Original page

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Opening an account at a conventional bank for personal use”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/work/fatwa-aliftaa-jo-opening-an-account-at-a-conventional-bank/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-01.

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A charity accepting a commercial bank's support in return for thanking it in posts

A question about a charity accepting support from a commercial bank in return for thanking it in posts, videos and advertisements, in which Jordan's General Iftaa Department answered that donations from interest-based banks may be accepted if no promotion is required, that thanks given orally or by letter are fine, and that thanks through advertisements and posts are forbidden because they amount to promotion. The Department answered that promoting and advertising banks and financial institutions that deal in usury is forbidden, because it is assisting in what is forbidden. It said there is no objection to dealing with someone whose wealth is mixed between lawful and unlawful, or even mostly unlawful, so his gift or donation may be accepted unless the specific money given is known to be unlawful, provided this is not tied to promoting the donor; it quoted Ibn Hajar al-Haytami's answer in al-Fatawa al-Fiqhiyya al-Kubra that dealing with someone most of whose wealth is unlawful is disliked unless the unlawful item itself is known. It distinguished ways of thanking a supporting bank: oral thanks to its management, or a letter of thanks, are unobjectionable; thanks published in advertisements and videos are not permitted, because they amount to promotion. It concluded that donations from interest-based banks may be accepted if they do not require promotion, but are forbidden if given in return for promotional work, such as thanks in posts and advertisements.