What is the ruling on paying a bribe to expedite a transaction?
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Question:
What is your opinion, Your Eminence, regarding a man who has a transaction at a government office, and this person has delayed the transaction for a long time? Is it permissible to pay the employee who delayed the transaction a sum of money to expedite this transaction? Knowing that it does not harm others, and is this considered a bribe?
Answer:
It is not permissible to give the employee anything; because giving the employee anything means causing the delay of others' transactions and expediting the transaction of the one who pays the bribe. Do not give them anything, but follow up and keep checking on them until they do what is required. As for giving tips to some employees, it is not permissible.
Q: What do they say about them?
A: If they report on them, may Allah reward them with good, but I fear that if they report on them, they will increase in evil.
What is your opinion, Your Eminence, regarding a man who has a transaction at a government office, and this person has delayed the transaction for a long time? Is it permissible to pay the employee who delayed the transaction a sum of money to expedite this transaction? Knowing that it does not harm others, and is this considered a bribe?
Answer:
It is not permissible to give the employee anything; because giving the employee anything means causing the delay of others' transactions and expediting the transaction of the one who pays the bribe. Do not give them anything, but follow up and keep checking on them until they do what is required. As for giving tips to some employees, it is not permissible.
Q: What do they say about them?
A: If they report on them, may Allah reward them with good, but I fear that if they report on them, they will increase in evil.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.