Is it permissible for an employee to accept a gift from people without asking for it?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and benefit us with your knowledge. I work in a government office and deal with the public, and after...
The Shaykh : With what?
The questioner : With the public.
The Shaykh : With the public?
The questioner : Yes, and after I fulfill a citizen's need, he gives me a sum of money without me asking for it. Does this amount fall under the category of bribery?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for a worker in a government position to accept a gift, for the gifts of workers are from ghalul (embezzlement). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a man named Abdullah ibn al-Lutbiyyah to collect the alms. When he returned, he brought the camels of the alms, or the sheep, or others, and said: "This is for you, and this was given to me as a gift."
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, after rising in his sermon and publicly declaring his disapproval of this:. Therefore, it is not permissible for any person in a position to take anything, whether as a condition or as a gift, in exchange for the work he has done.
However, if someone gives you something outside of work, outside the scope of your duties, or serves you with something and gives it to you for your home, there is no harm in accepting it. But within the scope of the duty assigned to you by the state, it is not permissible for you to take anything, neither a gift nor as a condition.
The Shaykh : With what?
The questioner : With the public.
The Shaykh : With the public?
The questioner : Yes, and after I fulfill a citizen's need, he gives me a sum of money without me asking for it. Does this amount fall under the category of bribery?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for a worker in a government position to accept a gift, for the gifts of workers are from ghalul (embezzlement). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a man named Abdullah ibn al-Lutbiyyah to collect the alms. When he returned, he brought the camels of the alms, or the sheep, or others, and said: "This is for you, and this was given to me as a gift."
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, after rising in his sermon and publicly declaring his disapproval of this:
What is the matter with a man whom we appoint to a job, who then comes to us and says: "This is for you, and this was given to me as a gift"? Why does he not sit in his father's and mother's house and see if he will be given a gift or not?
ما بال الرجل نستعمله على عمل فيأتي إلينا ويقول : هذا لكم وهذا أهدي إلي فهلا جلس في بيت أبيه وأمه فينظر أيهدى له أم لاHowever, if someone gives you something outside of work, outside the scope of your duties, or serves you with something and gives it to you for your home, there is no harm in accepting it. But within the scope of the duty assigned to you by the state, it is not permissible for you to take anything, neither a gift nor as a condition.