Topic:
The Ruling on Paying a Bribe to Get Company Work Done
(No-60523)
Assalamu Alaikum. I would like to seek guidance regarding an issue we sometimes face in offices. If we are representing a company and, for a particular task, an official or another person asks us to pay money as rishwat (bribery) to get the work done, and we pay it on behalf of the company, what is the ruling in Islam?
In this situation, are both the person who takes the bribe and the person who gives the bribe considered sinful and deserving of the punishment mentioned for bribery? Also, if the person giving the money is under pressure or is forced to pay in order to obtain a legitimate right or prevent injustice, does the Islamic ruling differ? Please guide us according to the Qur’an and Sunnah.
The Prophet ﷺ cursed both the one who gives a bribe and the one who receives it. Giving and receiving bribes are therefore both impermissible.
As a general rule, paying a bribe to get company work done is not allowed. However, if a legitimate matter cannot be resolved through any other means despite exhausting all proper channels, then there is some allowance for paying a sum of money to recover one's right or ward off an injustice. Even in this case, the person should continue to seek Allah's forgiveness for having paid the bribe. The one who receives the bribe, however, is sinful in all circumstances.
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الدلائل:
سنن أبي داؤد: (433/5، رقم الحديث: 3580، ط: دار الرسالة العالمية)
عن أبي سلمةعن عبد الله بن عمرو، قال: لعن رسول الله- صلى الله عليه وسلم- الراشي والمرتشي .
رد المحتار: (362/5، ط: سعید)
الرشوۃ علی اربعۃ اقسام ....الرابع: ما یدفع لدفع الخوف من المدفوع إلیہ علی نفسہ أو مالہ حلال للدافع حرام علی الآخذ۔
الدر المختار: (423/6، ط: سعید)
لا بأس بالرشوة إذا خاف على دینہ۔
Allah the Almighty knows best.
Darul ifta Al-Ikhlas, Karachi.