From the Pens of our Predecessors
The Importance of Huquq-ul-Ibad
Sayyid Mahmud Razawi
Islam is a complete and perfect religion. Its universality means it positively impacts every aspect of human life. The guidance of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم regarding practical life can be divided into two parts. The first correlates to the rights Allah has upon His people and what they are obligated with. The second pertains to the duties we owe to mankind, the rights people have over each other, the general rights of creation, and how Allah has commanded us to treat other people and creation when we meet them.
An important point to remember: if there are shortcomings in fulfilling the rights of Allah, He is All-Forgiving and Merciful and can forgive your faults if He wills. Yet, if you violate the rights of people or oppress them, you must seek forgiveness from them or fulfil their rights immediately. If none of the options are chosen in the world, one will suffer the consequences of this in the Hereafter.
The importance of people’s rights and the penalties of violating them can be deduced from hadith. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:
Whoever oppressed another concerning his reputation or anything else; they should exhort him to forgive them before the Day of Judgement, when there shall be no dirham or dinar to make up for this. If they have good deeds, they shall be taken from him according to their level of oppression. If they have no good deeds, the sins of the oppressed person shall be placed upon him.[1]
The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم also said, “There is a list of sins Allah shall not leave without delivering justice. These include the mutual oppression people inflict upon one another and violations of rights. Their recompense shall most certainly be given.”[2]
It is stated in the Quran:
اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَاۡمُرُ بِالۡعَدۡلِ وَ الۡاِحۡسَانِ
Allah commands justice and virtue,[3]
Allah also states:
اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَاۡمُرُکُمۡ اَنۡ تُؤَدُّوا الۡاَمٰنٰتِ اِلٰۤی اَہۡلِہَا ۙ
Indeed, Allah commands you to hand over entrusted items to their owners.[4]
The scope of these two verses is vast and refers to every matter, including those of wealth and mutual discord. We have been commanded to be just and honest in business, debt, gifts, wills, repayment, being witnesses or representatives, and in employment. Similarly, trust is not only related to financial items, but also extends to legal and moral issues. If you become aware of a secret which could damage someone’s honour and reputation, concealing it is also a trust. If you hear information in a gathering about other people, it is your duty to not spread it to others and create mischief. Likewise, if someone is an employee, it is his duty to understand and fulfil the responsibilities he is entrusted with.
The Quran describes a good labourer with the words القَوِىُّ الْاَمِیْن. This teaches us of the traits an employee must possess. He must be capable of performing the work he accepted responsibility for, and must maintain honesty and trust in his work by performing duties to their full. Nowadays, conflicts between employers and employees have reached a critical point. The reason for this is employees disregarding their responsibilities but demanding more pay and benefits, whilst employers refuse to pay workers their full wages and disrespect the terms of their employment.
The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم commanded for the rights of labourers to be fulfilled. He declared, “The wages of the labourer should be paid before his sweat dries.”[5]
The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم also announced how Allah said:
I shall be against three people on the Day of Judgement; he who makes a covenant in My name but proves treacherous, he who sells a free person (as a slave) and consumes the price, and he who employs a labourer, makes him work fully, but does not pay his wages.[6]
To help build moderation and eliminate class conflicts in society, it is imperative for both employers and employees to fulfil each other’s rights, and to act upon the guidance of Allah and His Messenger wholeheartedly.
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