Working in Islam

The great leaders of Islam used to work in order to develop the culture of working and honor the dignity of a worker. One of the friends of Imam Musa Ibn Jafar a.s. saw him working on the field while he was sweating. He was surprised and asked: Why you don’t give it to other people? Imam said: “The Prophet (PBUH) and Imam Ali (AS) and all of my ancestors used to do manual jobs. Handwork should not be diminished because all prophets and messengers and good people had been working with their hands and have tried a lot''.
On the other hand, Islam has strongly condemned "hypersomnia" "hypothyroidism" and "unemployment” and it has ordered to stop using the labor of others. The Prophet said: “A person who puts his burden on the shoulders of others is subjected to the curse of Allah''.
Imam Musa Ibn Jafar says: “Surely God the Almighty hates the one who sleep much and the one who is idle.
Indicators
1. Being Halal (lawful)
What is of great importance more than anything else in the economic system of Islam, is that the business must be Halal (lawful) that is to acquire the property from the way that's not forbidden by the religion.
The strict recommendation in the Quran and narrations to Muslims is that in addition to the lawfulness of the food for the body they should be careful about the lawfulness of the spiritual food as well; in other words, being careful in terms of the cleanliness of the food regarding the external and internal aspect must not be forgotten even in the most critical and hard the moments of life.
According to the verses of the Quran, Companions of the Cave although were very hungry after a long sleep, but they recommended to person who was responsible for buying the food not to eat any food rather be careful that which of the sellers has the most clean food and choose that.
Today, many people in the world have recognized the importance of clean food from external contamination but they're unaware of the fact that food should be clean from unlawfulness, usury, (use of) legal trickery and fraud and any internal contamination.
The Holy Prophet says:
''O people lest the little amount of provision forces you to gain it by committing a sin because God the Almighty have divided the Rizq among his creatures in a lawful way so any one that is pious and have patience on the little amount of sustenance God will give him from His Halal provision and anyone who commits sins and acquire it in a Haram way, his Halal provision will decrease and on the Day of Resurrection he must return it''.
The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali regarding the explanation of Halal provision says:
“Allah has placed on you some obligations which you should not ignore, laid down for you limits which you should not transgress and prohibited you from certain things which you should not violate. He has kept silent about certain things but has not left them out through forgetfulness, so do not burden yourself with them It is the mercy of God on you so accept it. Then he said: "Halaal (things) are clear and haraam (things) are clear, and the shubhaat (doubtful things) are between them, then anyone who abandons the shubhaat (doubtful things) from sins, he is more ready to avoid them so he will be careful not to commit forbidden acts''.
In this Hadith Imam Ali divides the issue sin the life of every Muslim into three types:
1. Halal
2. Haram
The doubtful things that their lawfulness or unlawfulness is not clear..3
In the first type, there’s no problem since the Glorified God has explained its law obviously and clearly.
In the second type, because unlawfulness is clear, in addition to gaining knowledge and awareness in this field the revolutionary believer must try to arrange his family and social life in a way that he doesn’t do such affairs.
But the third type is explained like an indicator since it’s very important.
References
A) being aware of the unlawful business and income
As it was mentioned gaining knowledge and enough information in the fields related to lawful and unlawful business is of the duties of the revolutionary believer. The comprehensive and guiding religion of Islam has special rules for every aspect of human life.
One of the aspects is financial deals and relations. Everyone who does business or other jobs is obliged to be aware of its lawfulness and unlawfulness so that he can avoid usury. It is also necessary for him to know the rule regarding the business or deal [even by imitation].
A person said to the Commander of the Faithful: “I want to make business”. He said: “Have u understood the religion of God?” he said: I will learn it later. He said: “woe unto you, first you must learn Fiqh and then make business because everyone who buys and sells something without asking about its lawfulness or unlawfulness will make the mistake of usury''.
2. Not being doubtful
The dictionary meaning of this word is suspicion and doubtfulness; in other words what is not obvious in terms of lawfulness and unlawfulness, is doubtful and the doubtful money is a something which its Halal or Haram is not clear.
In its symbolic meaning the doubtful property is a kind of property that we’re not sure about its unlawfulness; or there is the possibility of unlawfulness regarding it. It means that based on some evidence we guess the properties of person or his food is doubtful and he hasn’t obtained them in a lawful way or it is obtained with importunity or is mixed with other people’s property and their owners are not satisfied if it is used by another person or it is mixed with Haram.
In this situation, the best solution is to stop and leave the property. It has been narrated in numerous hadiths: “A person who avoids doubtful things will not break into.
Some people who claimed that they have been successful in their social life, unconsciously and unknowingly entered in the prohibitions because the situation of this group and it is likely that they gradually enter in the field of doing doubtful things and suddenly realize that they have been doing Haram things that is why the command of Islam at first is not entering these fields and in the text stage if one unconsciously did them his solution is to top doing them; that is he stops to make sure that it is lawful; that is why the concept of many narrations is stopping and the one who does it is considered as the most pious people: “The most pious people is the one stop in time of doubt” and Imam Ali says: “no self- control is like inaction in time of doubt''.
References
Here some doubtful indicators are mentioned:
A) Avoidance of suspicious Gifts
Islam has a lot of recommendations regarding gift and accepting it and encourages doing it; but sometimes, its name is gift, but in fact it wicked. Those who work in government agencies and only do their job by receiving gifts from people by the narration from Imam Reza are among the obvious examples of the Holy verse “devourers of [what is] unlawful” Surah Al-Ma'idah [5:42] that he says: “These are the people who do a favor for their religious brother then they receive the gift''.
B) Using the loans for other affairs
Those who get bank loans for agricultural lands or housing and use it for other affairs and since the bank has given them the loan for the first purposes, so using them for other purpose sis unlawful and doubtful.
C) Avoidance of suspicious earnings
Doubtful and suspicious earnings are the things which makes a Muslim believe that his income is Halal. A mathematics teacher which doesn’t teach completely for holding private classes to earn more; or an instructor in driving classes that make the drivers fail by slumbering so that they must pay for make-up classes or pay him something while he is not aware of their rights; or a worker that doesn’t know his working hours is equal to his income or he has doubt or based no not observing the indicator of work ethic is undisciplined, slumbers and doesn’t do his job seriously are all among the affairs which their income is suspicious or doubtful.
The use of personal property
Consumption is of the basic elements of human life and isolating it is impossible. This components plays an essential and decisive role in the Islamic lifestyle and in fact the social life of the believer and jihadist of the Islamic Revolution.
The vital school of Islam has a universal point view to the blessings and facilities of life and considers that belongs to all the people and that the right of everyone in using it is equal: “It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth” Surat Al-Baqarah [verse 29].
The most obvious example of consumption in social life is eating and drinking. The Holy Quran says about it: “and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess” Surat Al-A'raf [verse 31]. This means that you have the right to use the blessings of God, but you should not be excessive; because others have the right to use these blessings as well, but what you are throw out, others need it and this is incompatible with the spirit of equality and brotherhood in Islam.
Additionally, being excessive in part of the human life based on the clear saying of Imam Ali is because that people have not paid the rights that they’re obliges to do it based on the religion and this issue have been the reason of property accumulation of a class and the deprivation of other classes: “I didn’t see anywhere a lot of blessings unless by it the right of other people had been violated”. The thing which threatens the revolutionary believers with the development of sciences and technology and Islamic society more than being excessive and the foreign media are concerned with its prevalence in the today world by works of art is the he spirit of consumerism in Muslim societies and in the life of a Muslim.
The wise leader of the Islamic Revolution who have recognized this important issue well, warns the danger of it to the Muslim community:
Consumerism is a great disaster for the community. Being excessive, makes the class divisions and the gap between the poor deeper and deeper every day. One of the things that people need to know for their duty, is avoiding extravagance. Responsible agencies of various government departments, especially the propaganda and cultural agencies (especially television) should know about their duty that they should not lead the people towards being excessive, extravagance and consumerism and luxury; rather on the contrary they must invite and lead the people to contentment, satisfaction, using the necessary amount and avoidance of extravagance. Consumerism will destroy the society. A society where consumption is higher than production will fail in various fields. We must learn to adjust our consumption habits and make them less and avoid this kind of extravagance.