A teacher in a night school who did not fulfill his duty to the best of his ability: should he give charity from his salary to the poor students of the school and the like?

The questioner : Your Eminence, a teacher in a night school did not fulfill his duty to the best of his ability. Should he give charity from his salary to the poor students of the school and the like?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and the Imam of the righteous, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. It is obligatory for one who falls short in his job duty to repent to Allah, to fulfill the duty of the job, and not to be absent from it by being late in arriving or early in leaving, and not to neglect the duty while performing it. This is a matter that is necessary. If he does not do so, he becomes one of those who cheat in measures, whom Allah the Exalted has threatened with woe, saying: The procrastination that occurs among some employees in being late to arrive or early to leave is from the deception of Satan, may Allah protect us from Him, because they console themselves that the work is easy, or perhaps the work is little and does not fill the time, or some of them also say, "I am entitled to this salary even if I do not work, because it is from the public treasury," and the like of these weak excuses. The employee is a trustee of his job, and the employee takes a wage for his job, so how can he betray? And how can he take what he does not deserve? In that case, he falls into betrayal of trust and consuming wealth unjustly. So the employee, whether a teacher or not, should fear Allah first by performing the job in the required manner. If it happens that his soul incites him and he neglects the duty, then Allah the Mighty and Majestic guides him, he must return the equivalent of his negligence to the person in charge in that administration or ministry or presidency, so that it is returned to the public treasury. If that is difficult, let him spend it in the interest of the entity where he works. If he is a teacher, then in the school; if he is in another job, then in the same entity where he works. If that is difficult, let him give it in charity to the poor, because the poor have a right in the public treasury. But first, he must beware of negligence so that he fulfills the trust in the required manner. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.