Fatwa No : 86521
Getting the retirement later due to mentioning a younger date of birth

Getting the retirement later due to mentioning a younger date of birth

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu!
Respected Mufti Sahib,
I am working as an employee in a private institution. According to my actual date of birth, my age has reached sixty (60) years this month, but due to an error, my age is recorded as two years less on my national identity card. The institution determines the retirement date only according to the identity card; therefore, the institution will retire me only after two more years.
For further clarification, I would like to submit that I do not wish to inform the institution about this error or put my nerves and reputation at stake, because I have worked there with honesty and dedication, and disclosing this matter could create an impression of dishonesty about me. For this reason, I do not want to reveal this fact to the institution.
My question is: from a Shariah perspective, is it permissible for me to continue working in the same institution for those additional two years, even though my actual age has already reached sixty years, but the institution will retire me later based on the identity card? Or is it Islamically better that I resign now on the basis of my actual age?
Kindly provide clear and simple guidance in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

If, due to an error, a woman’s age is recorded as two years less on her identity card, then although it is better for her to separate from the job in a dignified manner, keeping her self-respect in mind, after reaching the prescribed age limit, however, if even after reaching the prescribed age limit she is able to continue her work for another two years and this does not have any negative effect on her work, then from a Shariah perspective there is room for her to continue working for an additional two years.

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

کما فی الدر المختار: لأن طاعۃ الإمام فیما لیس بمعصیۃ فرض فکیف فیما ھو طاعۃ الخ (باب البغاۃ، ج: 4، ص: 264، ط: ایچ ایم سعید)۔
وفی تکملہ فتح الملھم: وأن المسلم یجب علیہ أن یطیع الأمیرہ فی الأمور المباحۃ، فإن أمر الأمیر بفعل مباح وجبت مباشرتہ ، وإن نھی عن أمر مباح حرم ارتکابہ (إلی قولہ) ومن ھنا صرح الفقھاء بأن طاعۃ الإمام فیما لیس بمعصیۃ واجبۃ (إلی قولہ) فإنھا مشروطۃ أیضا بکون الأمر صادرا عن مصلحۃ لا عن ھوی أو ظلم لأن الحاکم لا یطاع لذاتہ وإنما یطاع من حیث أنہ متول لمصالح العامۃ الخ (باب وجوب طاعۃ الأمراء ، ج: 3، ص: 23، 24، ط: دارالعلوم کراچی)۔
وفی الشامیۃ: قال فی المعراج لأن طاعۃ الإمام فیما لیس بمعصیۃ واجبۃ الخ اھ (باب العیدین،مطلب تجب طاعۃ الإمام فیما لیس بمعصیۃ ، ج: 2، ص: 172، ط: ایچ ایم سعید)۔