According to their mentality, in capitalist countries, the laborer is just a tool in the hands of his or her employer. According to the logic of those extinct schools of thought, which claim to support laborers, there is a war between laborers and their employers. They wanted to make a living out of this war while calling themselves the supporters of laborers. The same capitalism, extravagance, and various types of financial corruption, which existed in the name of supporting the working class, also plagued the so-called socialist government of the U.S.S.R. Their school of thought was the school of contradictions and inconsistencies.
Islam and the Islamic Republic do not uphold either of these two schools of thought. We believe that these two factors—that is entrepreneurship and the establishment of employment and entrepreneurship agencies—form one arm, while the existence of a workforce forms the other arm. These two arms must both be available, and they must cooperate with one another. The government's duty is to strike a fair balance between the two in order to facilitate their cooperation and to prevent injustice. The government must be there to ensure that neither of the two transgresses on the rights of the other or avoids carrying out its reciprocal obligations.
April 23, 2008
One of the issues regarding laborers is the relationships that exist between them and their employers. In Islam, these relationships are different from the relationships between laborers and employers in materialistic schools of thought.
Capitalism, one of these materialistic schools, fully supports the capitalists and regards the laborers as tools. Communism, another materialistic school, was considered as supportive of laborers; and it was claimed that communism would build a type of paradise in this world for laborers. But its performance showed that it could only fuel the fire of the hell that dominated the lives of not only laborers, but also the lives of other people in communist societies.
In both systems--both capitalism and communism—the relationship between the laborer and the employer is a hostile relationship.
In capitalism, this relationship is based on exploitation and exerting pressure on humanity. In communism, the employer has been pictured as the manifestation of Satan and as a monster. The reason was that the leaders of this school wanted to give control of all production resources and factories to the government. They wanted to be the big employer. They implemented this plan, but the same plan destroyed them: it completely destroyed the implementers and their people.
This is not the same for Islam. In Islam, the relationship between the laborer and the employer is not like the relationship between two enemies. It is like the relationship between two colleagues. The relationship is not based on exploitation. That is to say, the employer is not the sultan of the laborer. In western capitalism, the employer has ownership over everything. He may grant the laborer some concessions so that he does not lose his labor. However, the relationship is based on exploitation. The laborer is like a tool. The employer does not regard the laborer as a human being. He regards him as a machine.
Islam vigorously condemns this. The laborer and the employer are two vital elements. In the absence of either of them, no work will be carried out. The laborer is the person who directly makes a product. The employer is the person who prepares the ground for production. The laborer is the one who makes the product; the employer is the one who provides the resources. The employer is the entrepreneur. In the absence of the laborer or the employer, there will be problems in production. They are like two partners and two soldiers who are in the same trench.
This is the viewpoint of Islam. Both of them should have sincerity, and they should show kindness towards one another. Both the employer and the laborer should show these qualities to one another. They should respect one another's rights. If they do so—follow this viewpoint of Islam—the dignity of the investor, the entrepreneur, and the employer, and the dignity of the laborer—who is the person that makes the product and that is present on the scene—will be preserved. Like so, the dignity and the rights of each will be protected and our country will move towards achieving glory.
This is the proper kind of relationship between the laborer and the employer. Laborers should appreciate the value of employers, and employers should appreciate the value of laborers. They should be like two soldiers in a trench. If either of them is harmed, the other one will be harmed too. This is an important point. Developing such a relationship is the duty of the officials of our country, whether the officials who are in charge of making laws or the officials who are in charge of implementing these laws. This is a point which should be taken into consideration.
April 26, 2006
Islam has a different view of labor. From an Islamic point of view, the relationship between labor and management is one of cooperation. Labor and management are two elements that produce results when they work in conjunction. Contrary to the Marxist view according to which everything is based on opposition, the Islamic view of labor is one of compassion and cooperation.
Thankfully, the Marxist view has disappeared from the philosophical schools of thought around the world. Instead of working against one another in order to produce a third element, labor and management should work in conjunction to achieve the same result. This is the Islamic view, which is in line with the laws of nature. This is true of everything else in the world, including natural phenomena as well as political, historical, and economic matters.
In contrast with the Marxist view, which is based on opposition, the Islamic view is generally based on compassion, cooperation, and common goals. This is true of labor and management as well — labor and management are seen as two elements that have to work shoulder to shoulder in order to give rise to production.
April 28, 2010
