What is the ruling on paying a bribe to obtain a scholarship that was denied due to the non-payment of unjust taxes?
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Question:
He says: I am a university student, and I was deprived of the scholarship because my father did not pay the tax amount, which is taken, as is well known, without right. Is it permissible for me to pay a bribe, for example, to obtain the document that enables me to benefit from the scholarship, meaning the scholarship?
Answer:
Pay the tax. Pay the tax, because you are compelled to do so. You pay the tax and you get the paper. As for the bribe, it is not permissible to pay a bribe; it is forbidden, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the one who gives the bribe and the one who takes it. The bribe is not permissible. But if you are compelled to pay the tax, then pay it for the sake of seeking knowledge. And do not give up seeking knowledge.
He says: I am a university student, and I was deprived of the scholarship because my father did not pay the tax amount, which is taken, as is well known, without right. Is it permissible for me to pay a bribe, for example, to obtain the document that enables me to benefit from the scholarship, meaning the scholarship?
Answer:
Pay the tax. Pay the tax, because you are compelled to do so. You pay the tax and you get the paper. As for the bribe, it is not permissible to pay a bribe; it is forbidden, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed the one who gives the bribe and the one who takes it. The bribe is not permissible. But if you are compelled to pay the tax, then pay it for the sake of seeking knowledge. And do not give up seeking knowledge.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم دفع رشوة للحصول على منحة منعت بسبب عد دفع ضرائب ظالمة؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.