Ruling on paying a bribe to obtain certain services, such as a telephone

The questioner : Shaykh, sometimes it happens that a person, for example, needs something from the government, like electricity, water, or a telephone. They wait for a year, two years, or three years, and there are employees to whom one pays a sum of money.

The Shaykh : It is not permissible, it is not permissible to use a bribe. It is only permissible when a Muslim is certain that it is his right, for example, to be prioritized over others, meaning that his right will not reach him except by paying a bribe. In this case only, it is permissible. As for you having been delayed for a year, I do not think you can judge that this delay, if you pay a bribe, means you have prioritized yourself over others who applied before you. Therefore, the matter requires extreme precision. But I will give an example in such a case: suppose a ruler or judge ruled in your favor regarding money owed to you by your Muslim brother, and then this judge delays executing the ruling he issued for you, and you understand that he will not execute the ruling except with a bribe. In this case, it is permissible for you to give him the bribe. It is permissible for you to give it, but it is forbidden for him to take it. As for it being a social relationship where, like you, dozens of people are delayed in the realization or acceleration of their requests, in that case, if you pay a bribe, it is not permissible because you would be wronging others because of your bribe. Is the picture clear?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Ah

The questioner : Shaykh, I have a witness to this matter that happened to me.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : But by the grace of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), the thing that happened, I witnessed it through the telephone. When I came to request the transfer of my telephone, any employee from the neighborhood goes and submits it, and they bring out a list. The answer is that they know there is no space; the box is closed. In truth, I took the path of a middleman, yes, not a "wasitah" (intermediary) in the sense of someone who just looks, but an employee from the employees. I brought it to my friend, and they said, "Look at this box for me; is it closed, or is there space in it?" When he came, he said, "Look, Shaykh, by Allah, if they wanted to serve you, they would see a hundred ways, even if it were closed, there are a hundred ways to transfer your line. But this box has space." The result is that this space is left for the one who pays. It is not a matter of turn, it is not a turn, because you and I, everyone goes and says, "By Allah, my uncle, the box is closed, the box is closed." Sometimes I would go just to look at the address, and the box is closed, its number is such, it is closed. So in such a case, in truth, the matter of the middleman without a bribe, no sin befalls me in this. If I used some people as intermediaries to benefit from this point, of course...?

The Shaykh : By Allah, within the limits of what you asked.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : There is no problem.

The questioner : There is nothing wrong with it.

The Shaykh : Never.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : But the fatwa is according to the text of the question.

The questioner : Yes. May Allah bless you.

The Shaykh : The audience : They laugh.

The questioner : By Allah, Shaykh, I wanted to be reassured...