إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، وَإِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، وَيَعْمَلُ عَمَلَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، وَإِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ، وَإِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالْخَوَاتِيمِ
This hadith implies that in case of disciplinary action, a worker, even with a long service period, can be punished for grave mistakes/gross misconduct and not awarded any severance pay. [20] Social security benefits on termination of an employment contract are also referred to in Islam. The Quranic verse 02:241 states, “And the divorced women must also be provided with maintenance according to what is fair. This is compulsory for the pious”. (02:241)وَلِلْمُطَلَّقَاتِ مَتَاعٌ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ ۖ حَقًّا عَلَى الْمُتَّقِينَ
This verse can suggest that compensation should be given for forcefully retired workers or dismissed workers for a limited time. Some payments (like medical) may be continued even after the dismissal of a worker. The verse 17:34 says, “And (also) do not go near the orphan’s property, but in a beneficial way (to the orphan), until he reaches his maturity. And always fulfil the promise. No doubt, the promise will be questioned about” (17:34). Here, it implies that the state and the employer should devise such a mechanism to protect the gratuity/severance pay of the worker in case of in-service death until the children reach the age of majority/adulthood. Similarly, verse 04:05 says, “And do not entrust to the mentally deficient your (or their) assets which Allah has made a means of stability for your economy. However, feed them out of it and clothe them, and say to them good and nice words” (04:05). This also implies that the state should protect pension and gratuity until the adulthood of the orphans in case of in-service death of workers. Survivor benefits for in-service death (termination of contract) of a worker are also suggested in Islam. However, survivors’ benefits are available to the orphans until they reach the age of majority (maturity), i.e., 18 years. “Ali (RA) reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “There is no orphanhood after the age of puberty”. (Sunan Abi Dawud: 2873)لاَ يُتْمَ بَعْدَ احْتِلاَمٍ