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What should I do about not getting paid for my work and my tools being used without my permission?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

An ijarah (lease/rental) contract is only valid with a known rent (or wage). If the rent is unknown, the ijarah is invalid, and in such a case, the customary rent (ajrat al-mithl), determined by experts, becomes obligatory.

If the rent is established as a debt upon the lessee (or employer) and he fails to pay it, he has committed a grave sin, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "There are three whose opponent I shall be on the Day of Resurrection: a man who gave a promise in My Name then broke it; a man who sold a free person and consumed his price; and a man who hired a laborer, benefited fully from his labor, but did not pay him his wages."

Furthermore, the rent must be expedited, based on his (peace be upon him) saying: "Give the laborer his wages before his sweat dries."

It is not permissible for the doctor to use another's tools without their permission; otherwise, he is betraying a trust and consuming others' wealth unjustly. The matter becomes worse if he breaks his promise and lies.

As for the questioner not demanding her wages, this depends on her desire; she has the right to demand it, remain silent, or pardon.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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