“How the Employee is to Fulfill Responsibility”
by Ash-Shaikh Abdul Muhsin Al’Abbaad
Translated by Br. Aboo Suhailah Umar Quinn
The Employee is Rewarded in this Life and the Hereafter for Fulfilling his Trust with Hard Work and Sincerity When the employee undertakes the performance of his duty with diligence hoping for Allah’s reward he has cleared himself of further accountability and deserves the wage of his work in this life and has won reward in the abode of the hereafter. Texts have been reported showing that the wage and reward for what a person does of deeds are to be done hoping for reward and seeking Allah’s Face:Allah the mighty and majestic said:{ لا خَيْرَ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنْ نَجْوَاهُمْ إِلا مَنْ أَمَرَ بِصَدَقَةٍ أَوْ مَعْرُوفٍ أَوْ إِصْلاحٍ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللَّهِ فَسَوْفَ نُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا (114)
There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allâh’s Cause), or Ma’rûf (Islâmic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allâh has ordained), or conciliation between mankind, and he who does this, seeking the good Pleasure of Allâh, We shall give him a great reward. (An-Nisa 4:114)
Al Bukhaari and Muslim reported on the authority of Abu Mas’ud that Allah’s Messenger said:“When a man spends on his family seeking reward then that is charity in his favor.” Also on the authority of Sa’ad ibn Abee Qaqqaas that he, salla allahu alaihi wa sallam, said:“You don’t spend any expenditure seeking thereby Allah’s Face except that you are rewarded thereby even the morsel of food you put in the food of your woman.”
These texts have shown that if the Muslim fulfills what is mandatory on him towards people he is free from further accountability and that wage and reward only occur along with hoping for it and seeking Allah’s face.Safeguarding the Time Particularly Designated for Work for what is in Favor of the Work:
It is upon all workers and employees to busy their specified work time doing the work designated and not busy himself with other matters outside of the work he is obligated to fulfill therein.
He is not to busy the time itself or any of it in what is in his particular interest nor the interest of anyone else so long as it has no relation to the work. This is because the time of work does not belong to the employee or worker but rather it is for doing what is in favor of the work from which a wage is taken in exchange for.
AshShaikh Al Muammar ibn Alee Al Bagdadi (who died in the year 507 h.) admonished the minister Nidhaam Al Mulk with an eloquent, beneficial admonition. From what he said in the beginning was:“It is known, oh Sadr al-Islam, that the individual subjects are at liberty to choose whether or not to meet with those seeking audience and travelling delegates. If they so wish, they can attend to them and if they want, they can leave. As for those specially chosen for authority, then they have no choice concerning those seeking audience and meeting with travelling delegates because whoever is a governor over the people then he in reality, he is a hired employee who sold his time and took his price and so nothing remains for him in his day during which to conduct himself as he chooses, nor is it for him to pray extra-obligatory prayers or enter into I’tikaaf because that is extra while this is mandatory and binding.”Also from what he said while admonishing him was:“So prepare to habitate your grave just as you inhabited your castle.” from the book Dhail Tabaqaat al Hanabilah by Ibn Rajab. (v. 1 /p. 107)Just as a person hopes to take his wage in full and doesn’t like to be undercompensated whatsoever then it is upon him not to undercut anything from his work time using it for other than what is appropriate to work. Allah has dispraised those who give short measure and weight who require their full rights while undercutting the rights of others. He said:{ وَيْلٌ لِلْمُطَفِّفِينَ * الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ * وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَوْ وَزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ * أَلا يَظُنُّ أُولَئِكَ أَنَّهُمْ مَبْعُوثُونَ * لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ * يَوْمَ يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ }Woe to Al-Mutaffifin [those who give less in measure and weight (decrease the rights of others)], those who, when they have to receive by measure from men, demand full measure, And when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due. Think they not that they will be resurrected (for reckoning), On a Great Day, The Day when (all) mankind will stand before the Lord of the ‘Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists)? (Al-Mutaffifin 83:1-6)
Stipulated Grounds on Which to Choose a Worker and Employee:
The basis on which to choose every employee or worker is that he is capable and trustworthy. This is because by capability he is able to undertake the work sought of him and by trustworthiness he will fulfill it in a manner freeing him from accountability because by trustworthiness he places affairs in their due place and by capability he will be able to fulfill what is mandatory upon him.
Allah informed about one of the two daughters of the man of Madyan that upon Musaa drawing water for them she said to her father:{ يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الأمِينُ }And said one of them (the two women): “O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy.” (Al-Qasas 28:26)
Also, He said about the Ifreet who displayed his readiness to Sulaiman to bring the throne of Bilqees:قَالَ عِفْريتٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَقُومَ مِنْ مَقَامِكَ وَإِنِّي عَلَيْهِ لَقَوِيٌّ أَمِينٌAn Ifrît (strong) from the jinns said: “I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work.” (An-Naml 27:39)The meaning is that he gathered the descriptions of having ability to carry and present it as well as his safeguarding what it contained.
Also Allah informed about Yusuf that he said to the King:قَالَ اجْعَلْنِي عَلَى خَزَائِنِ الأرْضِ إِنِّي حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌ (55) [Yûsuf (Joseph)] said: “Set me over the storehouses of the land; I will indeed guard them with full knowledge” (Yusuf 12:55)
The opposite of capability and trustworthiness is incapability and betraying.
They are the basis of not being chosen for work and the true grounds of being terminated from it.
When Umar made Sa’ad ibn Abee Waqqaas the governor over Al Kufah some of the foolish detracted from his character and spoke ill of him to Umar and so Umar saw a greater good in removing him to prevent fitnah so that none of them would transgress against him.However, during his malady of death he appointed selection of six of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger from whom to choose the Khalifah after him. Sa’ad ibn Abee Waqqaas was one of them and so he (Umar) feared that it would be thought that Umar removed him from his governance of Al Kufah on account of his not being suitable for authority. So he negated what has thought by saying:“If the rulership befalls Sa’ad then he is appropriate for that, otherwise whoever is made leader is to seek his help, for certainly I did not remove him because of incapability or betrayal.” There comes in Saheeh Muslim on the authority of Abu Dharr who said: I said: Oh Messenger of Allah! wont you appoint me? He said: So struck his hand on my shoulder and then said:“Oh Abaa Dharr you are weak and it is a trust and will be humiliation and regret on the Day of Resurrection except for he who takes to it rightfully and fulfills what is upon him regarding it.”
Also it is reported on the authority of Abu Dharr that Allah’s Messenger said:“Oh Abaa Dharr, verily I see that you are weak and I love for you what I love for myslef. Do not govern over two persons and do not take resposibility for the wealth of an orphan.”Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13503776/Benefits-From-the-Book
