Bribe under present circumstances
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:
In my country Bangladesh, there are some places where work cannot be done without bribery. I know bribing is haram and I want to be a good Muslim. I have been reading about our Prophet(pbuh) and his stories are inspiring me greatly. So tell me what am I supposed to do when I am faced with this helpless situation where I must bribe or else they make me suffer/ doesn't help.
(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:
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.
In some developing countries the concept of bribery and corruption is so rampant that without it it is almost impossible to get any work done. Islam cannot give a blanket permission to do something that is wrong in essence. Here one is required to exert his best to demand his rights as a citizen to get his normal work done. Then if it absolutely cannot be done without bribery one should take a call himself with the fear of Allah swt always at the back of his mind that he would be able to justify his actions on the Day of Qiyamah as Allah swt knows all the conditions of His slaves.
This culture of corruption and bribery has become a norm because almost everyone is openly violating the safe boundaries of Islam and Shariah without any thought of their accountability on that inevitable Day of Judgement. Just imagine the chaos it would cause if permission was given as to what heights this evil would reach. Alhamdolillah even in these times there are Muslims who fight tooth and nail this evil for the sole pleasure of Allah swt.. That is the only reason there is some control on its spreading to cosmic levels.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in Islam,
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