Islamic HR Management

Ihsan has several meanings. It includes helpfulness, perfection, improvement, forgiveness, completeness of faith and, most important of all, doing good deeds. Ihsan is also a continuous struggle to work towards attaining ALLAH’s satisfaction and to worship ALLAH as if you see Him and He sees you. This feeling makes the person behave at his/her best without the need for any human supervision. Managers with a high level of Ihsan promote the training and development of their employees and encourage employment involvement and participation in decision-making.

 Justice is a virtue that every person should develop regardless of whether he/she is a leader or a subordinate. The Holy Quran says: ‘O you who have believed, be constantly upright for Allah, witnesses with equity, and let not antagonism of a people provoke you not to do justice….…’ (Al-Quran, Chapter 5, verse 8). In Islam, justice is never to be affected by personal interests or antagonism. Employees are treated and rewarded equally and fairly in organizations where justice prevails. Managers treat their subordinates with respect and courtesy, and never look down to them or ignore their views and suggestions. The laws, regulations, policies and procedures are clearly followed and effectively implemented.

This value implies the continuous struggle within oneself for self-betterment. Striving to do better all the time requires humans to work harder and improve the quality of their services. This value is related to a state of passion for excellence (Alfalah) and perfection. Creativity therefore becomes an indispensable value in one’s life because of the desire to perfect and excel in doing what is good for oneself and good for the community. In an organizational context, striving to do better all the time requires managers and employees to work harder and improve the quality of their products and services through the promotion of learning, training, innovation and creativity.

Pride and arrogance are not the behaviour of a true Muslim. In organisations, managers should seek advice and consult with their subordinates before making decisions. Taking part in discussions and making suggestions are key management values in Islam. The right way to make the best decision on worldly matters, in the absence of a prescribed text, is consultation or Shura. The principle of Shura teaches Muslim managers to value the views of their subordinates and to be humble in their dealings with other people.