so divide the flock among yourselves and assign me a share with you.”

Whoever, after learning of the offer, performs the task for which the juʿālah was declared becomes entitled to the reward, because the contract is settled once the work is completed. If several people carry out the task together, they are to split the reward equally, for they shared in the work that generates entitlement and therefore must share in the compensation. If someone completes the task before knowing a reward had been set, he is entitled to nothing, for he acted without authorization and thus merits no payment. However, if he learns of the reward while part-way through the task, he receives a portion of the reward corresponding to the work he performed after becoming aware of it.

Juʿālah is a contract that either party may revoke. Should the worker withdraw, he has no claim to the reward, for he has waived his own right. If the offeror withdraws after the worker has begun the task, the worker is entitled to wages equivalent to the work he has already done, for he undertook it in expectation of compensation that was not delivered.

Juʿālah differs from hiring (ijārah) in several respects:
• For juʿālah to be valid it is not required that the task itself be precisely defined, whereas ijārah demands that the work for which one is hired be known.
• Juʿālah does not require the time-frame of the task to be specified, while ijārah is only valid when the period of work is fixed.