Ref. No. 946/41-88
In the name of Allah the most Gracious the most merciful
The answer to your question is as follows:
The permanent employees working in schools, colleges, Madrasas or companies are called ‘particular employees’. These employees do not have a predetermined end date to their employment. They will remain on their employment until the administration issues new rules and regulations about the salary of the lockdown period. The particular employees’ duty is only to maintain their attendance and punctuality in the time of the service prescribed by the administrative body. And they deserve to get their salary on ground of presence at the time of their job and their salary is not subject to working. Hence those who stayed at home not by choice but by the government’s order while they were willing to work in the office and didn’t show any remissness in their duty, they are entitled to receive the full salary amount of the lockdown period.
Nevertheless, if the management is not able to pay the full wages to the employees at the moment due to fiscal crunch prevalent everywhere in the world, they can pay them later. If the management paid half of the salary or paid nothing right now so once the financial condition of the companies gets stable they have to pay the salary of previous months whatever the payment is due: full or half. It is obvious that the organizations need these employees once the things go well.
It is stated in a Hadith: Your employees are your brethren upon whom Allah has given you authority. If one has one’s brother under his/her control one should feed them with the like of what one eats and clothe them with the like of what one wears. Even no workers can be compelled to do more than what they are capable of doing and the employer is obliged to provide safe workplace. You should not burden them with what they cannot bear and if you do so, help them in their job. (IbneMajah 4/648)
So, in the current scenario, dismissing the employees or deprive them fully of their salaries is not legally and morally encouraged.
۔ قال رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم -: "إخوانكم جعلهم الله تحت أيديكم، فأطعموهم مما تأكلون، وألبسوهم مما تلبسون، ولا تكلفوهم ما يعنيهم (1)، فإن كلفتموهم فأعينوهم"(سنن ابن ماجہ٤/٦٤٨)(والأجير الخاص) - ويسمى أجير واحدٍ أيضا - هو (الذي) يعمل لواحد عملا موقتا بالتخصيص، ومن أحكامه أنه (يستحق الأجرة بتسليم نفسه في المدة) المعقود عليها (وإن لم يعمل) وذلك (كمن استؤجر شهراً للخدمة أو لرعي الغنم) ؛ لأن المعقود عليه تسليم نفسه، لا عمله،(اللباب شرح الكتاب 2/94) الاجير يستحق الاجرة اذا كان في مدة الاجارة حاضرا للعمل و لا يشترط عمله بالفعل ولكن ليس له ان يمنع عن العمل واذا منع لا يستحق الاجرة ومعني كونه حاضرا للعمل ان يسلم نفسه للعمل و يكون قادرا في حال تمكنه من ايفاء ذلك العمل (دررالحكام شرح مجلة الاحكام " مادة 470،ا/٣٨٧)الاجیر الخاص من یستحق الاجرۃ بتسلیم النفس و بمضی المدۃ و لایشترط العمل فی حقہ لاستحقاق الاجرۃ۔ (تاتارخانیۃ١٥/٢٨١))
And Allah knows best
Darul Ifta
Darul Uloom Waqf Deoband
