Gift or Bribe: Where Is the Difference?

Shaykh Bali has summed up the difference in a single line — and in that one line, many of our habits get exposed.

How the Question Comes Up

The Shaykh says that a bribe means giving something in order to destroy someone's right or to make falsehood appear as truth. That "something" can be money, or it can be just a service.

So one person gives an officer a lift in his car, another takes someone's child to school, and in exchange there is a little "favor." The Shaykh says this too is a bribe.

But what gets confused most of all is this: where exactly is the line between a gift and a bribe?

In answer to this very question, the Shaykh brought up an incident from the life of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Shaykh's Answer

The criterion is simple: every gift received because of one's position is a bribe.

A Companion who had been sent to collect zakah came back and said, "This is for you, and this was given to me as a gift." The Prophet ﷺ stood on the minbar and said that if he had stayed sitting in his father's and mother's house, he would see whether anyone gave him a gift or not.

That is, the gift came only because of his position, even if he had given no one any concession. The Shaykh says that, whether public or private sector, the ruling is the same.

Evidence: The Curse Falls on Both Parties

لَعَنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الرَّاشِيَ وَالْمُرْتَشِيَ

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed both the one who gives a bribe and the one who takes it. (Musnad Ahmad and Sunan at-Tirmidhi — the chain is hasan)Copy

The Shaykh himself points out that in this narration the extra part with the word "intermediary" is, according to most hadith scholars, weak. Even so, the intermediary is guilty because he assists in sin.

What to Do

1. Do not accept any gift that comes because of your job — be content with your salary.
2. Make your utmost effort to get work done without bribery; do not reach for a bribe thinking it is the easy way.
3. "Others are taking it anyway" — even if people disobey, do not disobey Allah.
4. If you see someone taking a bribe, advise them with wisdom and good counsel; if they do not listen, inform the person in charge.

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Source: Based on a talk by Shaykh Wahid Abdus Salam Bali

Translation and compilation: Raqi Faisal Ahmed Sabit — Al-Qur'an Ruqyah Healing Center