Title: Fulfilling our Moral Obligations Question: Can one person working in an office collude the secrets of the office to some friend of his who is working as a competitor of the person's employer? This person in question knows that his friend is a competitor of his employer but nonetheless he helps his friend in providing all the confidential documents on biddings, tenders, proposals and all the inside information that is needed for winning contracts. He copies the work performed by his employer on various projects and provides it to his friend who uses it on his own clients under his name. In addition, this person talks about religion and poses himself as a religious and upright person. What does Islam say about that? Is there any punishment for this deed? XYZ United States of America Answer: The stated act is clearly one entailing breach of trust between the person and his employer; it clearly amounts to breaking the contract inherent in every employment agreement, according to which an employee should work for the well being of its employer and for the promotion of the objectives of the employing organization. Honoring our contracts is one of the primary moral values known to man. The Qur'an acknowledging it as such, says: وأوفوا بالعهد إن العهد كان مسؤولا ( الإسراء 17: 34) And fulfill your contracts. Indeed contracts shall be inquired about [in the hereafter]. You write: In addition, this person talks about religion and poses himself as a religious and upright person. It is extremely unfortunate that we have made religion to be the name of our adherence to certain ritualistic practices and to a prototype appearance only. Religion, in fact, is the name of our adherence to and our fulfillment of all the requirements of the moral values that we ascribe to as a part of our nature and as a part of God's directives. Talking about religion or taking to a particular attire or to a set of rituals and being unmindful of our moral obligations does not make us a religious person, whether we pose to be one or not. The Qur'an emphatically declares: لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَـكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَالْمَلآئِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّآئِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُواْ وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي الْبَأْسَاء والضَّرَّاء وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ أُولَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ ( البقرة 2: 177) True faithfulness [with God] is not merely your turning towards the East or the West [during your prayers]. True faithfulness is the faithfulness of those, who truly believe in God, in the Final Day, in the angels, in the Book and in the prophets; [those] who spend of their wealth, even when they need it dearly, on [helping] their kinsfolk, the orphans, the destitute, the wayfarers, and on those who ask for their help and on the redemption of the captives; [those] who attend to their sala'h and pay zaka'h ; [those] who, when they finalize an agreement, fulfill it; [those] who remain steadfast [in God's ways] in times of poverty, adversity and in times of war. These are the ones who are true in their belief and these indeed are [truly] the God-fearing. I hope this helps. Moiz Amjad October 29, 2003