Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Is there any harm in giving some money to person who is favouring you in getting business from the company he is employed as there is no predecided fixed percentage against the favour.It is just a jesture of saying thanks for supporting the business

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Giving bribes

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 188:

Do not usurp one another’s property by unjust means, nor offer it (bribes) to the judges so that you may devour knowingly and unjustly a portion of the goods of others.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 3573  Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As

The Messenger of Allah (saws) invoked the curse of Allah on the one who bribes and the one who takes bribe.

To demand or accept a bribe in absolutely any form or under any guise or circumstances is absolutely forbidden in Islam.   It is also categorically forbidden in Islam for one to pay a bribe to take something which does not rightfully belong to him or to get something which is the right of someone else.

Your Question: ….Is there any harm in giving some money to person who is favouring you in getting business from the company he is employed as there is no predecided fixed percentage against the favour.It is just a jesture of saying thanks for supporting the business

If one gives a gift to a person in authority as a gesture of their gratitude for the business the company accords them, there is no harm; it is the responsibility of the person who receives this ‘gift’ to make it known to the management of the company he works for.  If the management or the owners of the company allow that person to keep the gift, they are well within their rights to do so.

If the one and only reason one gives a gift or an amount to a person in authority is so that one may expect that the person will favor them with their business above others who do not show him such generosity, then indeed that would constitute giving a ‘bribe’ in Shariah; and such giving or receiving of bribes is absolutely and categorically forbidden in the Sight of Allah Subhanah.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan