Is it permissible for an employee to give a gift to his superior?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is it permissible for an employee to give a gift to his superior?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for an employee to give a gift to his superior, because as you know, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent 'Abdullah ibn al-Lutbiy to bring the charity, and he came with the charity and said: Look at this statement: would you give it to this man if he were not your superior? No, you would not give it to him. So, do not give it to him.
The questioner : Even if it is...?
The Shaykh : Even if it is a miswak, yes.
The questioner : What if it is in the context of da'wah, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, it is not in the context of da'wah. Da'wah goes to the mosque. Because, my brothers, notice that a gift compels a person against his will. If you give a gift to the superior, he will want to favor you in the future, overlook your shortcomings, and grant you a dispensation when there is no dispensation. A gift forces a person to favor his companion. Is that right? If I give you a pen, as I said...?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, I do.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, he returns it.
The questioner : Even after a year.
The Shaykh : If a year has passed, perhaps this one is dismissed and that one is dismissed, and the matter ends. Perhaps you want to go to your superior and say: Give me the pen that I gave you.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : By Allah, I am truly addressing both the superior and the subordinate. The subordinate does not give, and the superior does not take. Yes.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible for an employee to give a gift to his superior, because as you know, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent 'Abdullah ibn al-Lutbiy to bring the charity, and he came with the charity and said:
This is for you, and this is a gift to me. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) addressed the people and said: What is the matter with a man whom we appoint to a position, and he comes to us and says: This is for me, and this is for you? Why did he not sit in his father's and mother's house and see if he would be given a gift or not?
هذا لكم وهذا أهدي إلي فخطب النبي عليه الصلاة والسلام وقال : ما بال الرجل نستعمله على العمل فيأتي إلينا ويقول : هذا لي وهذا لكم فهلا جلس في بيت أبيه وأمه فينظر هل يهدى له أم لاThe questioner : Even if it is...?
The Shaykh : Even if it is a miswak, yes.
The questioner : What if it is in the context of da'wah, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : No, it is not in the context of da'wah. Da'wah goes to the mosque. Because, my brothers, notice that a gift compels a person against his will. If you give a gift to the superior, he will want to favor you in the future, overlook your shortcomings, and grant you a dispensation when there is no dispensation. A gift forces a person to favor his companion. Is that right? If I give you a pen, as I said...?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, I do.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, he returns it.
The questioner : Even after a year.
The Shaykh : If a year has passed, perhaps this one is dismissed and that one is dismissed, and the matter ends. Perhaps you want to go to your superior and say: Give me the pen that I gave you.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : By Allah, I am truly addressing both the superior and the subordinate. The subordinate does not give, and the superior does not take. Yes.