We should not judge others/ In office environment, rules should rule, not relations: Ramazani

Thursday, 01 December 2022

The fifth session of Official Ethics course was held with a speech by Ayatollah Reza Ramazani, Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in the conference hall of the Assembly in Qom.

ABWA Official Website – The fifth session of Official Ethics course was held on Thursday, December 1, 2022, with a speech by Ayatollah Reza Ramazani, Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly in the conference hall of the Assembly in Qom, with the presence of managers and employees of this international organization.

In this meeting, after reviewing the past discussions, Ayatollah Ramazani stated, “In the office environment, we must experience the collective living behavior. A person who lives in isolation and cannot communicate with others, is self-opinionated, does not like consultation and sees himself above consultation. Such a person cannot experience social life in an office environment and will not be successful in work.”

“We need to know each other well and understand each other in an office environment. The objective should be to improve the organization and fulfill the organizational mission, and not to promote the manager or a specific person! The organization must progress. Everyone’s responsibility and position are an opportunity to serve, not a steppingstone for promotion. In the Islamic system and management, it is necessary for everyone to achieve high objectives, and the goal is not personal interests,” he added.

Regarding the mission of the prophets (a.s.), the Secretary-General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly said, “All prophets were sent to invite humanity to God Almighty. But there were always pharaoh-like (arrogant) people who called people to themselves. Humans also have little personal pharaohs inside themselves, and they have to make them to subdue (before God).”

“We must know and adhere to organizational principles,” he added, “Paying attention to the worldview is not only for individual growth, but it is also influential in organizational growth.”

“The principle is to do the job and it reach us to the objectives, and along this path motivation is very important. Therefore, when the Prophet (p.b.u.h) was establishing the government, spoke about meaning, spirituality, and human education. Man should learn science and knowledge for God. Imam Sadeq (a.s.) said, “مَن تَعَلَّمَ العِلمَ و عَمِلَ بِهِ و عَلَّمَ للّه، دُعِيَ في مَلَكوتِ السَّماواتِ عَظيما” (Anyone who learns knowledge for God and practices it, and teaches it to others, will be remembered with greatness in the kingdom of heaven),” said the professor of the higher levels of the seminary.

“Paying attention to human dignity is another principle of office ethics,” he continued, “Islam’s definition of dignity is different from Western and secular views. Dignity in Islam means connecting to the transcendent truth in different dimensions. God assigns the Prophet (p.b.u.h) to dignify people. God himself is the most dignified, and the angels are dignified. In the Quran, God uses dignity after subtle and precise meanings.”

“Another principle of official ethics is fairness and justice. There must be rules in the office environment. It is necessary that rules take the place of relationships in the office environment. Today, many threats and damages are due to the rule of relations, otherwise many problems would have been solved. The manager of an organization should not seek grouping (lobbying) in a negative sense. If a manager in the scientific and specialized environment employs his relatives, the staff cannot perform their duties. The main result of this action is that the person does not have the necessary knowledge for the job. Because he was hired by nepotism, and this hurts the organization,” Ayatollah Ramazani stated.

Regarding the view of modern intellectuals about justice, he said, “The subject of justice is a strange and beautiful category of human society, so that justice and human rights are discussed in various fields of study. In ultra-neo colonialism, the words justice, rights, freedom, animal rights, etc. are also mentioned.”

“Justice is one of the beautiful, strange and unfamiliar words. Humans resist when faced with justice. Even Muslims did not tolerate the justice of Imam Ali (a.s.), and the Imam was martyred for pursuing justice. Justice is one of the most important principles that must be considered in organizations. Justice has also been considered in ethical discussions. Even in the creation and development of man, justice has prevailed. Aristotle also considers justice as the principle of virtues,” continued the Secretary -General of the AhlulBayt (a.s.) World Assembly.

“God has raised justice in the Quran and commands humanity to observe it. God interprets justice in the social arena as “قسط” (Qist) and addresses the believers to rise up for its implementation,” added the professor of higher levels of the seminary.

About justice in the field of official ethics, he said, “Justice has been discussed in various fields such as politics, governance, jurisprudence, family, law and other various sectors. Another area that justice should be observed, is the workplace. Therefore, in the work environment, everyone should fulfill his main duty, and not exceed his limits.”

“In verse 190 of Surah Al-Baqarah, God says, “وَقَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ” (And fight in the way of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors). According to this verse, God has forbidden the believers from trespassing and transgression. Some say that this verse has been abrogated by other verses, while the phrase “وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا” cannot be abrogated and does not accept abrogation. Even Yusuf Yusuf Qaradawi (Sunni scholar) has emphasized this issue. Therefore, justice in the office environment can play a very effective role. Everyone should perform their tasks, and if he does not so, it will be against justice. In this regard, personal works and meetings should be avoided in the workplace,” Ayatollah Ramazani added.

“In judging people, justice must be respected. We simply judge others. Immediately after we hear something, we say our opinion about others and make people’s perception negative about a particular person. In Surah Al-Isra verse 36, God says, “وَلَا تَقْفُ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۚ إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَٰئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْئُولًا” (Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed hearing, eyesight, and the heart—all of these are accountable). There are some people in the workplace that judge all tasks and issues. Such people make minds negative and damage the reputation of others. God does not forgive this bad behavior. There are several hadiths on the prohibition of damaging the reputation of believers and judging others. Therefore, we must judge to the extent that as we are allowed,” he continued.

“The phrase “وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا” in Surah Al-Baqarah applies in all spheres. We must always observe justice and fairness. If we do so, many problems will be solved. Sometimes we count the faults and errors of others and are oblivious to our own faults. Sometimes we consider delicacies and status for ourselves that will lead to Shirk Khafi (secret polytheism), and we must seek refuge in God from it,” concluded the representative of the people of Gilan in the Assembly of Leadership Experts. /345/

Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly

The Ahl al-Bayt World Assembly  is an international non-governmental organization (INGO) that was established by a group of Shiite elites under the supervision of the great Islamic authority of the Shiites in 1990 to identify, organize, educate and support the followers of Ahl al-Bayt.

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