Definition & Evidence

**Linguistic Definition:** Derived from al-ajr (compensation), which is the payment. Reward (thawab) is also called ajr. **Legal Definition:** A contract for a permissible, known benefit, taken gradually over a known period, from a known or described-in-liability source, or for known work, for a known compensation. **Evidence from Quran:** - "If they nurse for you, then give them their payment" [65:6] - "She said, 'O my father, hire him. Indeed, the best one you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy'" [28:26] **Evidence from Sunnah:** - The Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr hired a man from Banu al-Dil as an expert guide [Bukhari] **Warning Against Withholding Wages:** - **Hadith Qudsi:** Allah said: "Three people I will be their adversary on the Day of Judgment..." including "a man who hired a worker, extracted the work from him, then did not give him his wages" [Bukhari] - **Hadith of Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما:** The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Give the worker his wage before his sweat dries" [Ibn Majah - sahih]