Question

I have been appointed as contractual project associate in a Government department. This department has not been inaugurated yet as It has been started for first time here.Our work has not started yet and we have free time for the whole day. We have to mark our attendance regularly but there is no one to see it. I am expecting this time and travelling to and fro in Ramadan especially becomes a bit hard for me. Our Project head is a lenient person.so if we approach him in case we want to take off but mark our attendance by ourselves or any other person he might allow it this time. Please let me know if this would be permissible. And also without his permission if we mark as present would that be jaiz.
JazakAllah khair

Answer

If the purpose of marking your attendance is to make yourself available for potential tasks for a set duration of time then you must fulfil the required expectations and attend work. The reason for this is that you are being paid for a particular service, or for at least making yourself available to provide a service, and your compensation is in lieu of this. It would not be permissible to take compensation without carrying out your side of the contract.

As for the project head allowing you to not attend, if this decision is within their remit and they have full authority from the employer to permit employees to not attend but still consider them present for work, only then it be permissible to abstain from going to work and mark yourself present provided you have explicit consent. If however, the project head is doing this of their own accord, without the consent of the employer then it will not be permissible for you to mark yourself present.

Answered by:
Ifta Research Fellow

Checked & Approved by:
Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
Mufti Zubair Patel