Ijarah: Hiring, Wages and Leases

Ijarah exchanges a known lawful benefit or service for known compensation. Work, duration and wages should be sufficiently clear to prevent disputes.

Ijarah is an exchange of a lawful, known benefit or service for agreed compensation. It covers hiring a worker and leasing property, though their detailed rules differ. The type of work, expected benefit, period and compensation should be sufficiently clear. Employers must respect agreed wages and conditions; workers must perform entrusted duties honestly. A dispute may arise when the scope of work is vague, so clear written terms are valuable.

In Hanafi fiqh, details and conditions matter. Identify the people involved, the property or duty, and the terms of the agreement. Then ask whether the rule is lawful and valid, and what could make the answer change. A general Qur'anic verse and a detailed Hanafi judgement have different roles. Do not treat a short school example as a ruling for every real-life contract.