Posted by: theMajlis
Destruction of Amaanat AMONG THE IMPENDING Signs of the approach of the Final Hour (Qiyaamah), mentioned by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is the Destruction of Amaanat. The abuse of Trust will permeate every strata of Muslim society. In this regard it is necessary, in particular, to draw the attention of Deeni personnel, mainly Teachers at Deeni institutions. Many—a great many— of Ustaadhs teaching at Madrasahs and Maktabs are especially unconcerned of the major sin of destruction of Amaanat committed by them. Teachers at the Deeni institutions are paid salaries for the time they have to teach or do whatever other services they have been employed for. Teachers should understand that they are essentially employees, teaching for a salary. They have a contract with terms and conditions, the observance of which is Waajib. Violation of these terms is abuse and destruction of Amaanat. Such abuse is termed Khiyaanat which is a stringent prohibition. Among the terms of the work contract is the time factor. A Madrasah teacher is paid to teach during specific times. In this sphere, teachers are generally lax. They arrive late and leave a few minutes before ending time. Such dereliction of duty is akin to theft. Although it is not technically Sarqah (theft), for which the penalty is the severance of the hand, nevertheless, morally it is the same as stealing money or anything else. Its repercussions are here on earth in different forms, as well as punishment in the Aakhirah.
It is not permissible for Ustaadhs to steal time from their official tenure. The crime is compounded when Ustaadhs accept full salaries inspite of not having taught full-time. In the first place, it is Waajib for Ustaadhs to be on time or a few minutes before time. It is also incumbent that they teach the full-time stipulated in their work contract. If an Ustaadh arrives late, he should make a note of it, and notify his employers to enable them to deduct the necessary amount from his salary. If the Deeni personnel fail to do so, and devour the haraam money acquired in this manner, they will have to pay on the Day of Qiyaamah. This is not an issue restricted to Taqwa (piety). It is a matter of halaal and haraam— a matter of amaanat and khiyaanat. It is therefore, necessary to be very careful in this matter. If stealing tangible property is considered evil and sinful, the theft of time for which haraam remuneration is accepted, is viler than the former act of theft. In sarqah (theft of physical items) worldly things which have no value in the Aakhirah, are stolen. But, in Khiyaanat, valuable intangible and spiritual assets, which are valuable in both this world and the Aakhirah, are stolen. In former days, it was the practice of pious Qaadhis (Judges in Islamic courts) to make deductions from their salary and return it to the Baitul Maal (the public state treasury). one Qaadhi would be exceptionally meticulous in keeping a record of every minute he did not expend in the duty for which he was being paid a salary. Although he was always punctual at his court, he acted in consonance with Taqwa to deduct from his salary for even such time in which there were no court cases to hear notwithstanding the fact that he was present for duty. The actual rule in this regard is that the Ustaadh, Qaadhi, etc., is entitled to his full wage if he was present during the full duration of his work-time even if there was no work to be done due to pupil absenteeism or no cases to hear. Nevertheless, this Qaadhi, acting in the light of Taqwa, would not accept remuneration for any time in which he could not apply himself to court duties, not because of any fault on his part, but because there were no court cases to hear. An Ustaadh is not entitled to leave before the termination of his official teaching time even if there happens to be present only one pupil or even if he has completed his work-quota before time. If he does, he is not entitled to full-pay. TRUSTEES Another act of Khiyaanat is the perpetration of the Mutawallis (Trustees) or Committee which has employed the teachers. It is not permissible for them to fully remunerate their Deeni staff for time they had not been present for duty. The funds are not the personal property of the Madrasah/Musjid committee. They may, therefore, not misappropriate the general fund to pay full wages to late-coming Deeni staff. However, if any trustee pays the difference from his own money or from contributions by close friends who approve, then it is permissible. IMAAM The same rule applies to a Musjid Imaam who has been employed to execute the duties of Imaamate. If he is not present for a Salaat, then he is not entitled to remuneration for the absent time. He is paid for the time that he attends, not for absent time. If the Imaam goes off for a few days, for example, and asks someone else to stand in for him, he is not entitled to pay for his absent days. If the Imaam or even a Madrasah Ustaadh takes leave to go for Hajj, Umrah or Tableegh, he is not entitled for remuneration for his absent time whether he goes with or without the approval of the mutawallis / committee. However, if his initial work contract allows for remuneration during holidays, then the full wage is permissible. But, going for Hajj, Umrah and Tableegh do not come within the purview of holidays nor is this part of the Urf (established custom) of our society whereas payment for holidays is supported by a valid Urf. These are issues affecting Imaan, and they have far-reaching consequences in one’s life on earth and in the Aakhirah. "The Majlis" Vol 16 No 03
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