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- INTRODUCTION
According to Islamic belief, unlike other creatures in the Universe, only man is endowed with
Free Will, which enables him to make choices amongst alternatives while pursuing his life.
However, no one may use his or her Free Will at the expense of others. Because of his Free
Will, man is accountable to God for his deeds. In addition, being the vicegerent of God on
earth, he should realize his position in the eyes of God. In Islam, man’s accountability to God
is not restricted to one aspect of his life, but he is responsible for his deeds in every aspect
of his life.
The Qur’an authenticates the responsibility of individuals for their deeds by this verse. The
phrase, in pledge”, emphasizes that every individual is fully responsible for his or her acts,
and the consequences of the individual’s acts cannot be transferred to someone else.
1. Practicing Muslims should seek ‘blessing’ before ‘profit’. Therefore, the ultimate goal is to
achieve the acceptance from Allah.
2. To get a better deal and to get off with less harm. Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: Allah's
Messenger said, "May Allah have mercy on those who are easy when they sell, easy when
they buy… God loves kindness when you deal with any matter”
3. To help the community fighting the corruption in business. Accepting the guidance of
Islam leads a person to truthfulness, which means a person completely avoids cheating,
cheating, and back-stabbing. The Prophet of Islam said: “Whoever bears arms against us is
not one of us, and whoever cheats us is not one of us.” (Saheeh Muslim)
4. You are more likely to be treated better. According to Baker Ahmad Alserhan, Muslim
scholars accept the rule that “religion is treatment”, which means that, what makes people
religious is how people deal with others, how they conduct their affairs, how they perform
their duties , and so on.
• Public Health Issues. Explaining about inherently dangerous products such as alcohol,
tobacco, vaccines, and steroids.
• Developing the Quality of the Workforce. Enhancing quality of the overall workforce
through education and diversity initiatives.
Allah, The Exalted, says, "The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His
messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified,
or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land.
Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful
doom." (Holy Qur'an, 5: 33)
Everything we see around us has been designed for a purpose by the Designer, Allah.
Everything in the universe is remarkably homogenous and balanced. Since man is given
power and control in some spheres to some extent, he should manage them fairly and justly.
Islam fights environment degradation, pollution, destruction, clearing of trees and plants,
misusage, depletion of resources, and every kind of corruption on earth.
2. Responsibilities to Customers
• The Right to Be Informed. Avoiding false or misleading advertising and providing effective
customer service.
• The Right to Choose. Ability of consumers to choose the products and services they want.
Narrated Hakim bin Hizam: Allah's Messenger said, "The seller and the buyer have the right
to keep or return goods as long as they have not parted or till they part; and if both the
parties spoke the truth and described the defects and qualities (of the goods), then they
would be blessed in their transaction, and if they told lies or hid something, then the
blessings of their transaction would be lost." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
3. Responsibilities to Employees
• Quality-of-Life Issues. Balancing work and family through flexible work schedules,
subsidized child care, and regulation such as the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
• Ensuring Equal Opportunity on the Job. Providing equal opportunities to all employees
without discrimination; many aspects regulated by law. Providing educational opportunities
& training to the employee at company’s expense
• Sexual Harassment and Sexism. Equal pay for equal work without regard to gender.
The Prophet Muhammad said, “Your employees are your brothers upon whom Allah has
given you authority, so if a Muslim has another person under his control, he/she should not
overburden them with what they cannot bear and if you do so, help them in their jobs.”
[ Saheeh Al Bukhari]
Islam promotes respect, kindness, and loyalty. These elements create an environment where
everyone can enjoy their rights and also where everyone can execute their tasks perfectly.
Moreover, equality is essential to establishing a tolerant group spirit at a workplace.
Allah said, “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for
Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives.” (Holy Qur’an, 4: 135)
Peace and prosperity is not possible in any organization if there is no justice and fair dealing
between employer and employee. Employer needs to ensure justice by fulfilling his
obligations to the employee and employee needs to ensure justice by fulfilling his
obligations to employer.
4. Responsibilities to Investors
• Investors protected by regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission and state
regulations.
“O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful]
business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to
you ever Merciful.” (Holy Qur’an, 4: 29)
“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone
whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.” (Holy Qur’an, 33:
21)
One of main thing which Islam allow to his followers is rightful source of wealth and
property. The discrimination is when one person earning and the other person suffering loss,
Islam does not permit such kind of earning and transaction, and Islam only allow those
transaction in which both the parties have the benefit and their free consent in order to
have impartiality between dealings.
Also, the Quran verses and teaching of the prophet tell us about the wide range of ethical
norms to be followed in our social contract, in equality of the sexes, contract with individual,
in business transactions, public and private life.
To meet the dictates of balance and unity that we see in Allah’s creation, each person is
considered accountable for his/her actions. Allah stresses this concept of moral
responsibility:
“Not your desires, nor those of the People of the Book (can prevail): whoever works evil, will
be requited accordingly. Nor will he find, besides Allah, any protector or helper.” (Holy
Qur’an 4: 123)
In Islam, responsibility is multi-layered and focuses on the both the micro- (individual)
level and the macro- (organizational and societal) level. In fact, Islam brings these two
levels together. As Syed Qutb points out,
“Islam lays down the principle of mutual responsibility in all its various shapes and form. In it,
we find the responsibilities which exist between a man and his soul, between a man and his
immediate family, between the individual and the society, between community and other
communities […]”
Islam rejects the idea that corporations have a collective consciousness, and that one
should establish corporate responsibility. Rather, it focuses on individual responsibility
or Muslim decision maker/leader and to stress that his/her cannot blame his/her
actions on the pressures of business or on the fact that everybody else is behaving
unethically. No leader can dodge his/her responsibility.
Abdullah ibn Umar reported, The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “Every one of you is a
shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader of people is a guardian and is
responsible for his subjects. A man is the guardian of his family and he is responsible for
them. A woman is the guardian of her husband’s home and his children and she is
responsible for them. The servant of a man is a guardian of the property of his master and
he is responsible for it. No doubt, every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his
flock.” (Saheeh Muslim)
Hence, you position as leader makes you accountable in front of Allah for your actions
on the Day of Judgement. In other words, the Islamic ethical philosophies demands that
you and your organization’s followers or employees be just, trustworthy, and
benevolent, seek to achieve excellence, and accept responsibility for your actions.
Doing these with the right intentions, with the realization that work is indeed an act of
worship, will earn you success not just in life but also in the Hereafter. Hearken to
Allah’s injunction and promise:
“O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He
will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever
obeys Allah and His Messenger (SAW) he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he
will be saved from the Hell-fire and made to enter Paradise).” (Holy Qu’an, 33: 70-71)
Benevolence (ihsan) or kindness to others is defined as “an act which benefits persons other
than those from whom the act proceeds without any obligation. It also means fineness,
proficiency, or magnanimity in dealing with others. Along with the concept of justice, the
concept of benevolence is also frequently repeated in the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said ihsan as “To worship Allah as if you
see Him, and if you do not see Him, He sees you.” (Saheeh Bukhari). The concept of Ihsan in
Islam is also that a Muslim is a responsible person where he does things in a good manner.
We can say that Ihsan means a Muhsen is sure that Allah is seeing him/her in everything
he/she says or does in his life. So, a Muhsen does his best to say and do only what pleases
Allah Almighty and conforms to His commands.
Next, in Holy Quran, Allah Almighty says: “Indeed, Allah commands justice, good conduct
(Ihsan), and giving to relatives (and He) forbids immorality, bad conduct, and oppression. He
admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded” (Holy Qur’an, 16: 90). In short, by living
according to the concept of Ihsan and by applying it to all that a Muslim does, he/she will be
rewarded and drench with mercy and forgiveness from Allah Almighty.
Al-Ghazali indicates: "If adl is the condition for salvage it would be the equivalent of capital,
in commerce. Whereas ihsaan, which is the condition for success and felicity, would have
profit as equivalent. In this world, is not considered wise the person who only seeks to
preserve his capital in his trading activities. Likewise, a Muslim, whose objective is to
succeed in the Hereafter, should not give up the various kinds of ihsaan, to limit himself to
adl."
In line with the above, al-Ghazali enumerates a series of behaviors that the merchant has to
adopt towards his clients to get rewards and ranks, though they are not compulsory. Ihsaan
should be manifested in different ways and at different stages of the transactions.
1. If a person needs a thing, one should give it to him making as little profit as possible. If the
giver forgoes the profit, it will be better for him.
“And whatever you spend for spendings (e.g., in Sadaqah - charity, etc. for Allah's Cause)
or whatever vow you make, be sure Allah knows it all. And for the Zalimun
(wrong-doers, etc.) there are no helpers.” (Holy Qur’an, 2: 270)
2. If a man purchases anything from a poor person, it will be more graceful on his part to
suffer a little loss by paying more than what is considered to be the proper price.
“And spend in the way of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands
into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.”
(Holy Qur’an, 2: 195)
3. In realizing one’s dues and loans one must act benevolently by giving the debtors more
time to pay than is due and if necessary, one should make reductions in loans to provide
relief to debtors.
“And if the debtor is in a hard time (has no money), then grant him time till it is easy for
him to repay, but if you remit it by way of charity, that is better for you if you did but
know.” (Holy Qur’an, 2: 280)
4. It is proper that people who want to return the goods they have purchased should be
permitted to do so as a matter of benevolence.
The Prophet (SAW) used to urge people to let a buyer cancel the transaction if he
regrets it. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever lets a Muslim off (a transaction), Allah
will relieve him of his distress on the Day of Resurrection.” (Saheeh Abu Dawood)
5. It is a graceful act on the part of a debtor if he pays his debts without being asked to do so,
if possible long before they are due.
The person who borrows something has to give it back. Allah says: “Verily, Allah
commands that you should render back the trusts to those to whom they are due…”
(Holy Qur’an, 4: 58).
It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger
of Allah (SAW) said, “Whoever takes people’s money with the intention of repaying it,
Allah will help him to repay it; whoever takes people’s money with the intention of
wasting it, Allah will destroy him.” (
6. When selling things on credit one should be generous enough not to press for payment
when people are not able to pay on the stipulated terms.
'Iyad b. Him-ar reported that Allah's Messenger, while delivering a sermon one day, said,
“The inmates of Paradise are three: One who wields authority and is just and fair, one
who Is truthful and has been endowed with power to do good deeds. And the person
who is merciful and kind hearted towards his relatives and to every pious Muslim, and
one who does not stretch his hand in spite of having a large family to support.” (Saheeh
Muslim)
Islam encourages kindness. Reported by Abu Ad-Darda: The Prophet (SAW) said:
“Whoever is given his portion of kindness has been given his portion of goodness, and
whoever is deprived of his portion of kindness has been deprived of his portion of
goodness.” (At-Tirmidhi)
At its core, ihsan is derived from the arabic root ن- س- ح, which means “suitable,
beautiful, proper, or fitting”. This concept is the core of Islamic ethics, because it
focuses on behaving in a way that pleases Allah.
Your Islamic organization should be benevolent organization, and its strategy should be
to demonstrate ihsan without shortchanging your fiduciary responsibility to the
company’s owners or stockholders. Benevolence does not mean mediocrity or giving
away the company’s earnings gratuitously.
Ihsan includes excellence. This ethical dimension applies to any constructive endeavor
or work. Furthermore, it implies that each committed Muslim employee should perform
their work for the love of Allah in full knowldege that Allah is watching their behaviour,
whether public or private.