Q: I work for a wholesaler and my daily tasks are many. I open the store and then I do daily counts of airtime. I am the cashier, take phone calls, take phone orders, respond to WhatsApp messages and orders. I also pay suppliers and buy stock when needed. I have to cash up customers and give them airtime and cigarettes.
I have to phone the boss while there are queues of people to get special pricing for each item for all the big customers. When I make a payout for either a payment to a supplier or buying items, I have to make a note in a book. I must also make a note in a seperate book for COD customers. While doing all this, sometimes the boss will ask for money. Since he wants the money immediately and I am very busy, I don’t always get a chance to make a note of the money he takes.
When cash up is done, there are some occasions where there are shortages, etc. Most of the time, it is found that something wasn’t noted down in the rush. There are cameras overhead which see that I don’t steal anything, and because of the rushed pace of everything, it’s not due to negligence on my part.
According to Shari’ah, is it permissible for my boss to ask me to pay for the shortages that can’t be traced and hold me responsible for it?
