The Islamic Personality by Sheikh Taqīuddīn An-Nabahānī

The capitalist system in economics was implemented upon the western world, and upon Russia before the communist party ruled it. Among the principles of the capitalist ideology is freedom of ownership from which resulted the owners of work enslaving the employees i.e. the labourers as long as there existed mutual consent and as long as the nadhariyya al-iltizam (law of obligations)

is the one dominating over them. Labourers met with the employer's evil, injustice and exploitation of their hardwork and labour. When the socialist thought appeared and announced justice for the employee, it appeared as the basis of solving the hiring contract. Accordingly socialism came with the solution of giving justice to the worker by limiting the time of work, the wage of work, guaranteeing him leisure etc. So it destroyed the nadhariyya al-iltizam (law of obligations) and its incompetence to solve the problems became clear so the scholars of western canons and they were forced to change their nadhariyya al-iltizam (law of obligations) until the nadhariyya al-iltizam (law of obligations) was able to be fortified before the problems; hence they inserted reforms to patch up their viewpoint. Principles and rules were inserted into the work contract aiming to protect workers and to give them rights which they did not previously have, like the right to gather together, the right to form representatives, the right to strike, giving them retirement and benefits or compensation etc. Even though the text of the nadhariyya al-iltizam (law of obligations) does not permit these types of rights. However there occurred the interpretation of these viewpoints to solve the problems of workers which Socialist thought initiated among workers. Then came the socialist viewpoint to prevent ownership of wealth and giving the worker everything he needs. Due to the contradiction between the two ideologies, socialism from which emanates communism and capitalism, in respect of ownership and in respect of the employee, a labour problem was created between them. Each of them came with a specific method of solving this problem which was created by their two different viewpoints with respect to life.

As for Islam, there does not exist a problem known as a labour problem nor is the Islamic Ummah divided into classes of workers and capitalists, or peasants and landlords etc. The whole issue is related to the employee whether he was hired for the profession like specialists or technical experts or he was hired for his labour alone like the remaining employees, and whether he was an employee for persons or an employee of groups or a State employee, and whether he is a specific employee or a common employee; they are all employees. The rules for this employee have been clearly manifested and explained. At the employees’ consent upon the named wage, for them is the named wage for the hiring period and they can leave their employer after their hiring period ends. And if they differ with him then comes the role of experts to estimate the comparable wage. These experts are chosen by the two parties but if they cannot agree upon them, the judge chooses them and the two sides are obliged by what the experts say compulsorily. As for the judge determining a specific wage, it is not permitted by analogy upon the impermissibility of price-fixing for goods since the wage is the price of the benefit and the price is the price for the good. Just as the market for goods establishes the price of the good with a natural evaluation, similarly the market for the benefits of workers is established by the need for workers. However it is upon the State to prepare work for workers:

It is upon the State to remove the injustice of the owners of work upon workers for silence upon injustice with the ability to remove it is forbidden and there is great sin in that. If the State is negligent in lifting injustice or it oppresses employees, it is upon the whole Ummah to account the State over this injustice and to hasten to remove it. And it is upon the Court of Unjust Acts (mahkamat al-madhalim) to look into this injustice and lift if from the oppressed person, and its command in this is executed upon the ruler and the State. This is not upon the employees who were oppressed alone as is the situation today in solving the problems of workers with strikes and protests because the injustice of any individual of the citizens and the State’s negligence in taking care of the affairs of any individual citizen is a matter related to taking care of the Ummah as a whole even if it were specific to a person or persons. This is because it is execution of the Shari’ah rule and it is not related to a specific party even if it occurs upon a specific group.

As for what workers require in guaranteeing their health and that of their families, and guaranteeing their expenses in the situation of their leaving work and guaranteeing the education of their sons and what is similar to these guarantees researched therein to secure the labourers, Islam does not research it in the research of the employee and employer because this is not upon the employer but rather upon the State. Nor is it for the workers but rather for each weak person among the citizens because the State guarantees health and education freely for all, and guarantees for the weak person his expenditure whether he is a worker or not since this is obligatory upon the Bait al-Mal and obligatory upon all Muslims.

Accordingly there does not exist a labour problem nor a problem specific for a group or party of the Ummah, so in every problem related to taking care of the affairs of citizens the State is responsible to solve it. And the whole Ummah accounts the State to solve this problem and remove the injustice, nor is the person with the problem, or the one upon whom the injustice occurred, the only responsible person.