Have you ever been tipped?

I am an engineer and my job requires me to go out and do work in other offices. I install telephone systems and Data cables as well as CCTV.

Most jobs are in huge offices but sometimes we get sent to the directors homes to do work there.

Being Muslim we, do our job very well and Alhumdulillah our customers are very pleased and recommend us to other clients.

However, as they like the job so much, I get a tip from them. Sometimes £5, £10, £20 even £50.This is beside what they pay for the work we were called for.

I am sure there are many other trades in which people get tips, like restaurants, cabbies etc.

But I came across something that pushed me back a little. Please bear in mind that we dont work for the tip rather we work honestly. Yes we do take shortcuts, but it is still valid in my field.

Please read the post below and reply with your thoughts.

Jazakallah Khair.

The Fatwa is from a Salafi site.

Asslamo Allaikum,

Query sent to a Hanafi Shaykh in Makkah Mukarramah. Awaiting reply.

Jazakullah Khairun

The Salafis are good when it comes to references. Not everything they say or do is wrong.

A few of the books I have are Salafi. But none are Barelwee. The Salafi site has presented overwhelming evidence, what we need to find out is if it has been abrogated.

Brothe Muadh, I once asked a Mufti a question and he gave me an answer that seemed correct. A year later, I saw evidence against his answer, so I went back to him with the evidence for him to confirm. He took back his first answer and agreed with the evidence. I hope you have sent the Hadith with your query.

So you understand my point about the restaurant then?

Asslamo Allaikum,

The Shaykh whom I have sent the query to is:

1. Very Senior in age & knowledge
2. Fluent in Arabic
3. Student of many well known Hanafi Scholars
4. Lives & teaches in Makkah to he knows about Salafiyyah and their Scholars very well

:- ) I have also lived and studied in Saudia so yes, Salafees are not always wrong and Shaykh Salih Al-Uathymeen (RA) was a Hanbali Qadhi, not Madkhali by the way : - )

But I chose to take my Fatwa from a Hanafi Shaykh since I am a Hanafi and that doesn't mean that others are false.

I will let the Shaykh reply and we will then ask him to comment on the Hadeeth, no problems.

Jazakullah Khairun

Asslamo Allaikum,
 

Shaykh (HA) replied and said for general tipping:

Yes. If one doesn't tip maybe next time you will get bad service. Otherwise as a charity one should think if that is the best place to put one's charity.

Shaykh (HA) replied on the specific question on this thread:

Saudi Arabic Government has blocked the fatwa; however, there is no question about the lawfulness of the tip; it's a simple gift done in appreciation of good work. The Prophet bought a camel from Jabir and paid him his price and gave him more than agreed upon out of love for him. The previous answer was for the case in which one works for oneself. However, I realized that the situation is actually the situation where one is working for someone else, and in this situation one may not be entitled to the money unless one's employer makes it clear that he permits his employee to keep the tips; otherwise, one really got the tip  by virtue of the opportunity provided to him by his employer. What is the company's policy?
 

My 2 pennies : - ) :

He cannot view the Salafi Fatwa because that site (as you may know) is blocked in Saudia by the Saudi Government. In my opinion here is the daleel for the Hanafi Madhab which the Shaykh (HA) is quoting from Saheeh Bukhari in his answer:

Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah:

I was accompanying the Prophet on a journey and was riding a slow camel that was lagging behind the others. The Prophet passed by me and asked, "Who is this?" I replied, "Jabir bin 'Abdullah." He asked, "What is the matter, (why are you late)?" I replied, "I am riding a slow camel." He asked, "Do you have a stick?" I replied in the affirmative. He said, "Give it to me." When I gave it to him, he beat the camel and rebuked it. Then that camel surpassed the others thenceforth. The Prophet said, "Sell it to me." I replied, "It is (a gift) for you, O Allah's Apostle." He said, "Sell it to me. I have bought it for four Dinars (gold pieces) and you can keep on riding it till Medina." When we approached Medina, I started going (towards my house). The Prophet said, "Where are you going?" I Sad, "I have married a widow." He said, "Why have you not married a virgin to fondle with each other?" I said, "My father died and left daughters, so I decided to marry a widow (an experienced woman) (to look after them)." He said, "Well done." When we reached Medina, Allah's Apostle said, "O Bilal, pay him (the price of the camel) and give him extra money." Bilal gave me four Dinars and one Qirat extra. (A sub-narrator said): Jabir added, "The extra Qirat of Allah's Apostle never parted from me." The Qirat was always in Jabir bin 'Abdullah's purse.

Shaykh (HA) answers the follow up question:

My boss is for tips too, infact, he takes them too.

I like to tell my boss when I've been tipped so that he is aware of it just incase the customer turns around and says, I gave your engineer money on the side.

One day I went on a job and the customer paid cash. (The Cash goes in my boss' pocket, thats his tip for the work we do).This guy is very stingy, he doesnt want to pay the VAT so he pays cash, and on top of that, he haggles alot, anyway he over paid by £10.

I had already left and counted the money in the car. I drove back and told him that he had given £10 extra by accident. Luckily for me, there was another builder there who had witnessed my honesty, so this stingy guy got embarrased and said, "no no, thats for you, its a tip". I was shocked. When I returned to the office and gave my boss the cash, I told him that he tipped me a tenner. My boss said, "I know, he already phoned me". We just laughed, because we know what this guy is really like with money. (By the way, he was Jewish)

Conclusion, My company preffers tips, this proves we did a good job. and for our company, we dont advertise, its purely recommendations. I've been working there for 13 years. That proves how much we get recommended.

Then, since your boss is okay with it it's clearly lawful for you.
 

W-Salam Aapa,

No, he isn't. Hazrat Makki Saheb (HA) doesn't speak English.

Jazakullah Khairun