Question; Can a Christian employ a Muslim?

[Italianguy]

I own a medium sized contracting company(34 employees) and as i was just on the phone with a Muslim friend of mine and he asked if i had any open positions. I don't actually have an open possitions persay, but i am about to let go of 2 employees that arent worth keeping. I would love to have him work for me, he is a hard worker and is honest, plus he is a really good friend of mine and i really want to give him this job. Most of my employees are Christian and i know wouldn't mind a Muslim coworker( i'm sure they would think it's cool). Most of my clients are Christian as well(keep in mind i live in the southern east coast of the US, close to the Bible belt) and i really don't care if they don't like it . I guess my question is; what is islam's stance on this? I have given him money before as he has given to me(interest free of course) but he really needs this job soon and i think i am going to call him in the morning and tell him to start on monday!

Thoughts?

[MujahidAbdullah]

It is completely permissable for a Muslim to work for a Christian, esspecially if they live in the US.

I would say the majority of Muslims in the US work for non Muslim companys

[hope_n_fear]

That's really nice of you.
Some things you should consider for him as an employer:
1) Letting him pray his 5 times prayer, whichever of them fall during work hours. The times of prayer change throughout the year, so someday he may have to do his noon prayer at 1, someday at 2, etc. Also, allowing him to pray the friday prayer, which takes about 1-2 hours in total including transportation. Please note, that these prayers are obligatory for him, so if he is a practicing Muslim, he will have to do these prayers regardless of what the employer thinks; but if you as an employer facilitate a prayer space and prayer breaks for him, it would be very kind of you, and God will also reward you for your good deed. Aside from the friday prayer, the daily prayers take from 5-20 minutes each. (You can confirm from him how long he takes, as the time required may vary from person to person).

2) There are two Eids, or religious celebration in Islam. It would be nice for you to let him take holidays during these two occasions. The first Eid ends with Ramadhan, which lasts one day, and the second Eid is in the month of Hajj, which lasts for 3 days.

3) It has been mentioned by Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, that employers are rewarded for reducing the workload of their employees in the month of Ramadhan, as it's a month of fasting, and can get physically toilsome. Depending on the type of work you would of be offering to the Muslim friend, you could consider this glad tiding and go easy on him in the month of Ramadhan.

Hope this helps.