"If it is delayed for three months, the cost of business will increase. They cannot make their payments to the banks. When this happens, the interests will become higher. This is also our problem which makes people angry at us," he added.

According to Islamic principles, payment for work done should be made the fastest possible. There is a Hadith of the prophet of Islam, Muhammad – Peace Be Upon Him – which says pay the people who work for you before their sweat is dried.

Alas in the Muslim world, 99 percent of the employers pay people well after the sweat is dried and at times even after the other months or days sweat is dried! Is this ‘Islamic” or is it simply a cunning way to keep the workers guessing while the bosses enrich themselves?

When I was working for the BBC radio Africa called the Network Africa services in the late 1980’s, I was paid on a daily basis. My cheques were paid to me a day after I finish my report for the Network Africa services and if it was a series of interviews which I would send on cassettes recorded earlier; the BBC would pay me a hefty checque a day after they use the stories.

That was great since I had to wait for the postman to send me my cheques from London but since I was living in Mauritius, I had to wait a good seven days to 20 days before I could get the money into my account. The reason was that the banks had to wait for the green light from London before they allowed me to cash the cheques.

Nevertheless, I would work my way up to the higher management level of the Commercial Bank in Port Louis to get to know the managers and this will help me cash the cheques instantly. After all were these cheques not from the BBC, the most renowned media organization in the world?

Since I started working in Malaysia, the situation has changed. I get paid months after my work is done and mind you I am working for Muslims. This was the case when I started working for Islamonline.net which has turned out to be my worst working experience in my entire lifetime as a journalist.

I have been a journalist from age 18 and a paid journalist from age 20 and I am still a journalist, editing magazines and putting up my own web portal which is getting much attention these days. This however does not make me a happily paid person and I am flabbergasted since I am working for Muslims!

Islamonline.net would pay me months, yes months after I have done the job for them. This month pay would come some six months later and after much negotiations and anger in the process i managed to get them to pay me every two months. This caused many disruptions in my balance sheet but I weathered thru until I left the organization after falling out on the job functions and so on. Incredibly enough, the organization wanted me to work more and get paid less!

When I started working for OIC Today, a magazine made in Malaysia and which has my name all over it since I have been the editor since its very beginning in 2004, the situation never changed. Sure I am not paid the amount that other editors would earn but for the sake of Islam and the Muslim community I decided that the payment was sufficient.

But the experience working for a Muslim organization against struck me and makes me realize that working for non-Muslims so far in my career as a journalist was the best moments ever. Needless to say that I am still struggling to get that organization to pay regularly!

And the prophet’s message to all Muslim leaders and Muslim organizations and people is that they have the utmost responsibility and duty to pay people who work for them well before the ‘sweat’ of these people dry. My sweat for work done for these Muslim organizations have since long dried and gone but guess what, the paycheck is missing!

Now you ask me what is wrong with the Muslims and why the Muslims are being treated like pariah across the world? Stop guessing, it’s the money and the money they owners and leaders of the Muslim world loves. They do not love Allah and they are never frightened of HIS wrath if any that may befall them. They are too worried of their bank accounts which might just be too thin if they pay people regularly and steadily – though we do not say that it should be done the same day we accomplish our jobs.

The Malaysian premier has spoken but no one will listen to him. Why? Because the Prophet of Islam spoke earlier, 1400 years earlier on this matter but no one seems to bother to listen to His traditions!

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Pay salary before sweat is dried:
written by JUSTICE, August 05, 2008

I for one do follow this principle though I am not a Muslim. But this article especially the headlines had awoken me to greater awareness of the importance of paying at the earliest. Be it the salary or the payment for some items which we have bought and sometime pay by postdated cheques.
Thank you for your article which helps me to check on my attitute of fairness . It reminds me to be aware of what I do.

Great
written by Kazi Mahmood, August 05, 2008

You are welcomed, Justice. One reason I publish this is that I am so dissappointed with Muslim leaders and company bosses and CEO's. They are heading astray, away from just causes because they are filling their pockets with 'haram' money.

...
written by Born2reign, August 26, 2008

As an auditor, I know. Many Muslim-Malay organisation have poor planning in terms of cash flow, business expansion and investments, let alone human resource management. Just look at Singapore and HK, who are so tiny and void of natural resources, yet they are able to attract the best minds and generate wealth. Muslims tend to prefer emotional outbursts than to gain knowledge, and learn the hard way.

So you are spot on, Muslims tend to value money (thinking this is the only way Allah loves them), while non-Muslims tend to value people/brains. That's why we just have to wait until the money runs out and the Muslim brothers will betray each other, fight over money. Non-Muslims like the English, Americans, Chinese and Indians prefer to venture out of their comfort zone to look for more wealth. Unfortunately these non-Muslims tend to bring up their next generation adopting the Muslim spend-now-earn-later mentality, instead of working for it.

It is a spiritual bondage, the invisible jail, like Hagar mother of Ishmael, the slavewoman.

In Malaysia, the Malay-Muslims are so used to being ripped off by their Muslim leaders that they are quick in forgiving some Quran-swearers, as if the swearers do not need to go through the civil/criminal courts. I say Muslim or not Muslim, all must go through the same corporate governance policies and code of ethics and civil courts on what is right and wrong. Otherwise you have 10 imams giving 10 different opinions(%*&&&($#!!!

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