Amr bin Shuaib reported from his father who reported from his grandfather that Ali reported that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: "The condition of a loan combined with a sale is not allowable, nor two conditions relating to one transaction, nor the profit arising from something which is not in one's charge, nor selling what is not in your possession." (Abu Futures and options trade in contracts, not underlying assets or services, and therefore may not be bought or sold; they possess no intrinsic value but rather only something of value.

It is unlawful to work for an employer whose primary business is futures and options (even if one does not participate directly in the transactions), unless one has absolutely no other means of supporting one's dependents (such as selling the excess of one's saleable wealth or accepting work at a low-paying job), in which case one may remain with the unlawful work as long as one is actively looking for another source of income and seeking God's forgiveness and help in the process.