I was working on a farm, and when Ramadan arrived, its owner said to me, “You have a choice between two things: either break your fast and continue working, or leave the job if you do not break your fast.”
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The questioner : I was working on a farm, and when Ramadan arrived, its owner said to me, “You have a choice between two things: either break your fast and continue working, or leave the job if you do not break your fast.” Therefore, I broke my fast for ten days of Ramadan. What is the ruling in the Shari'ah, in your opinion, regarding this, and is it valid for me to repeat these days?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for a person to abandon the obligatory acts of Allah because of the threats of Allah’s servants. Rather, it is obligatory for a person to perform the obligatory acts. Whoever fears Allah, He will make a way out for him and provide for him from where he does not expect. Have you seen if he said to you, “Do not pray; if you pray, you will not work for me”? Would you obey him in that? There is no doubt that you would not obey him. And so it is with all the obligatory acts that Allah has made obligatory upon you: it is not permissible for you to abandon them because of the threat of another person to withhold work if you perform them.
And we say once again to this one who hired this worker: What is fitting for you, and you are a Muslim man, is to help him in obedience to Allah, such as prayer, fasting, and other acts of worship that this worker performs, while he fulfills the contract between you and him. If you do that, you have helped him in righteousness and piety, and the one who helps in righteousness and piety is like the doer, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 2509Sahih (Al-Albani).
So you, my brother, fear Allah the Exalted regarding these workers, and do not deprive them of the favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), which does not prevent work or diminish it. Rather, this may be a cause for the blessing of the work. And we add to this that complaints from workers regarding their sponsors have become numerous, where some sponsors—may Allah guide us and them—harm the sponsored person and delay him in his right. Perhaps he remains for two, three, or four months without being given his right, and sometimes he even denies it. And it has come in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Allah the Exalted said:Sahih al-Bukhari 2270.
Then let him fear Allah regarding these poor, destitute people who have come seeking a livelihood in these lands, yet he delays them in their right for two, three, four months, or more than that, while they are in need and their families may be in dire necessity.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for a person to abandon the obligatory acts of Allah because of the threats of Allah’s servants. Rather, it is obligatory for a person to perform the obligatory acts. Whoever fears Allah, He will make a way out for him and provide for him from where he does not expect. Have you seen if he said to you, “Do not pray; if you pray, you will not work for me”? Would you obey him in that? There is no doubt that you would not obey him. And so it is with all the obligatory acts that Allah has made obligatory upon you: it is not permissible for you to abandon them because of the threat of another person to withhold work if you perform them.
And we say once again to this one who hired this worker: What is fitting for you, and you are a Muslim man, is to help him in obedience to Allah, such as prayer, fasting, and other acts of worship that this worker performs, while he fulfills the contract between you and him. If you do that, you have helped him in righteousness and piety, and the one who helps in righteousness and piety is like the doer, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
He who equips a fighter in Allaah’s path has taken part in the fighting. And he looks after a fighter’s family when he is away has taken part in the fighting.
من جهز غازياً فقد غزا ، ومن خلفه في أهله بخير فقد غزاSo you, my brother, fear Allah the Exalted regarding these workers, and do not deprive them of the favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), which does not prevent work or diminish it. Rather, this may be a cause for the blessing of the work. And we add to this that complaints from workers regarding their sponsors have become numerous, where some sponsors—may Allah guide us and them—harm the sponsored person and delay him in his right. Perhaps he remains for two, three, or four months without being given his right, and sometimes he even denies it. And it has come in the hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Allah the Exalted said:
three types of people on the Day of Resurrection: -1. One who makes a covenant in My Name, but proves treacherous; -2. One who sells a free person and eats his price; and -3. One who employs a laborer and takes full work from him but does not pay him for his lab our.
ثلاثة أنا خصمهم يوم القيامة رجل أعطى بي ثم غدر ، ورجل باع حراً فأكل ثمنه ، ورجل استأجر أجيراً فاستوفى منه ولم يعطه حقهThen let him fear Allah regarding these poor, destitute people who have come seeking a livelihood in these lands, yet he delays them in their right for two, three, four months, or more than that, while they are in need and their families may be in dire necessity.