Quora Answer: According to Shari’ah, Can I Invest in Information Technology Stocks since They Serve Financial Institutions

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “According to shari’ah, is it acceptable to invest in information technology stocks because they provide services to banks and other financial institutions?” 

If we go by that logic, you will have almost nothing to invest in, because the economy is interconnected.  You cannot invest in companies that deliver food to the people who work there.  You cannot invest in utilities because they provide electricity and other utility services to the bank.  You cannot invest in estate management companies because they manage their properties.  You cannot invest in public transportation because people take it to work there or go there as clients. 

Fiqh does not even have an ijma’ on what constitutes riba’, and there is a plethora of fatawa.  You cannot even say this is “according to shari’ah”, since shari’ah is our interpretation of the Divine Intent.  With that sort of thinking, perhaps investment is not for you.