WAGES AND ETIQUETTE REGARDING FARM LABORERS

Islam views the laborer as an equal to the owner—

not merely as capital.

Pay and treat them just as you would treat

your own brother.

Once, an Australian convert to Islam came to see me specifically after reading my book, The Islamic Miracle of Hard Work. He sought an answer regarding how to determine the wages for the farm laborers working on his land in accordance with Islamic teachings. Honestly, I was somewhat stumped; despite my age, I had never heard a religious teacher speak or read a book on this specific topic.

In the end, I relied on common sense, even though I felt a bit embarrassed being asked such a "simple" question. As it happened, I had recently attended a discussion on family farming. I answered that the benchmark should be dignity. I asked him, "What wage can you offer that doesn't place an undue burden on you, yet allows the laborer and his family to live with dignity?" There were two laborer families working full-time on his farm—working all day and living right there on the property. I suggested considering how to ensure their basic needs were met: healthy food, decent clothing, habitable housing, and at least the fulfillment of their children's schooling needs.

After giving that somewhat tentative answer, I decided to search for the topic on Google. The results were roughly as follows.

One of the most well-known hadiths is: "Give the worker his wages before his sweat dries" (Narrated by Ibn Majah). However, few sources discuss exactly how much a laborer's wage should be.

Issues regarding labor in this country seem never-ending. Conflicts frequently arise between workers and company management—the party doing the hiring. In the informal sector, disputes between domestic workers and their employers are also common occurrences. To address this issue, a Bill on Domestic Workers is currently being deliberated by the House of Representatives (DPR RI) as part of the 2020–2024 National Legislation Program. This is a positive development.

In life, human beings naturally rely on one another; those with means employ individuals in need of a livelihood. Disputes between employers and workers need not occur, provided both parties steadfastly adhere to Islamic teachings. As a perfect religion, Islam provides guidance on adab al-ijaarah (the etiquette of hiring) and the proper conduct of muamalah (social and economic interactions) between an employer (musta’jir) and a worker (ajir). In his book Mausuu’atul Aadaab Al-Islaamiyyah, Sheikh Abdul Azis bin Fathi As-Sayyid Nada discusses these etiquettes extensively, grounding them in the Quran and Hadith.

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