One morning, on a happy day for the residents of Kampong Banyan, Raven has been appointed as a state official. He now serves as an official on the Capital of Kampong Banyan. Eagle, representing the elders, was asked to deliver a khutbah. So, slowly and quietly, eagle came forward, and said, "All praise is for Allah. We praise Him, seek His aid and forgiveness. We further repent to Him and seek refuge with Him from the evil of ourselves and from our wrongdoings. Whomever Allah guides none can lead astray, and whoever Allah misguides none can guide him. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah Alone, having no partner with him. I also bear witness that Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is His slave and Messenger. May the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him, his family, his Companions and any one that follows in their footsteps until Judgement Day.
O people, fear Allah and fulfill what he entrusted you with in all matters. Carry out these trusts with a pure intention and sincerity for Allah, submitting to Him and following His Commandments, and intending to remit yourselves from responsibility and correct your society. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لا تَخُونُوا اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ وَتَخُونُوا أَمَانَاتِكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ"O you who have believed, do not betray Allah and the Messenger or betray your trusts while you know [the consequence]." - [QS.8:27]
O you who believe! The trust you are entrusted with is not an easy matter. It is the religion, the responsibility of safeguarding it, the methodology and the way. It is a heavy burden and a great responsibility. It was offered to the heavens, the earth and the mountains, yet, despite their high strength and durability, they declined to bear it and were afraid of its consequences. Instead you, man, have bore it for the reasoning and understanding that Allah has created in you, and the knowledge, revelation and guidance He has made available to you. With the reasoning and understanding you may recognize things and with the revelation and knowledge you may be guided and shown the right way. For this you were qualified to endure and fulfill the responsibilities of this trust. Therefore you must attend to the responsibilities of the Trust’ you bore completely and perfectly, so as to please your Lord and achieve the piety of your society. However, if you fail to keep it, the whole society shall suffer a great destruction in its body and disintegration in its ties.
O Muslims! In order to protect and safeguard this trust, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has prohibited every cause leading to its ruin or even its partial loss. He therefore, prohibited the practice of bribery, which is to give money to someone or forgive him from his dues for the purpose of accomplishing an unlawful gain. Allah says,
Bribery is a form of Suhut (possessing something by a forbidden way) as was explained by Ibn Masud, radhiyallahu 'anhu, and others. Ibn 'Amr, radihyallahu 'anhu, narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had cursed the briber and the one bribed. In different wording the Hadith says that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,وَلا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقًا مِنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالإثْمِ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَAnd do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful]. - [QS.2:188]
This Hadith could be a statement by the Prophet (ﷺ) as stated directly, or an invocation against them to be expelled from the mercy of Allah as Satan was cursed, hence expelled from the mercy of Allah.لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الرَّاشِي وَالْمُرْتَشِي"The curse of Allah is upon the one who offers a bribe and the one who takes it.” - [Sunan Ibn Majah; Hasan]
Reference :O Muslims! The curse of Allah and His Messenger is only deserved for doing a great evil and a detestable matter. Certainly bribery is one of the most corrupting practices on earth, for it is a form of changing Allah’s verdict, neglecting people’s rights, establishing fraud and ruining what is right. Bribery is a great cause of corruption in the society and a betrayal of the Trust’. By practicing bribery, the briber wrongs himself, for he spends his money to gain an illegal achievement. On the other hand, the bribed wrongs himself by yielding to injustice and oppression against the commandments of Allah. Both of them usurp other people’s rights and take the possession of prohibited property. This shall not benefit them; it shall rather harm them and thus ruin their wealth or the blessing therein.
Judges and rulers can be the target of bribery, when they tend to favor the briber in their judgement and decisions against the truth. They do so at the expense of other people’s rights, for the sake of benefiting themselves through bribes. The executive officials may also be targets for bribery, when they neglect carrying out orders, or even worse than that, when they deliberately cease to execute verdicts, especially a court verdict against a criminal, all because of being bribed.
In employment, bribery has an impact in hiring someone at the expense of another who may be more entitled. For being bribed, the one in charge may pass the answers of the test, by which the employer decides who is to be hired, to the person who is only favored by bribery. A Hadith states something to that effect as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,
“He who gives authority to a man from amongst a group, while another from the same group is more pleasing to Allah, has indeed betrayed Allah, His Messenger and the believers.” - [Al-Hakim; Hasan]Bribery can also be involved in implementing projects. In this regard, a tender for a project is published, and one of the bidders may bribe the ones in charge, so he takes the project, despite that other bidders may be more honest and more proficient. Bribery' can also be influential during conducting criminal investigations, as the investigators can be bribed to be lenient or even negligent in their investigations in favor of the culprits.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,
Al-Ghalul (misappropriation, stealing through abuse of authority) is a great sin. A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) to tell him that someone had died a martyr, but the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “ Nay! He is being dragged into the Fire for a garment he stole from the spoils of war.” (Ahmad; Hasan)مَنْ وَلاَّهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ شَيْئًا مِنْ أَمْرِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ فَاحْتَجَبَ دُونَ حَاجَتِهِمْ وَخَلَّتِهِمْ وَفَقْرِهِمُ احْتَجَبَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ دُونَ حَاجَتِهِ وَخَلَّتِهِ وَفَقْرِهِ"If Allah puts anyone in the position of authority over the affairs of the Muslims, and he secludes himself (from them), not fulfilling their needs, wants, and poverty, Allah will keep Himself away from him, not fulfilling his need, want and poverty." - [Sunan Abi Dawud; Sahih Shaikh Al-Albani]
It is worth a moment of thinking to fathom how bribery can effect the decisions of the people in charge of educating our children. With bribery, a lazy student may be given or hinted the answers for the finals, or be allowed to cheat during the exam, then pass and take the place of another student who may be better and hardworking. This occurs because the people in charge are vulnerable to the temptation of the bribe.
O servants of Allah! You now know the punishment of the briber and the bribed in the Hereafter, which is to be ousted from the mercy of Allah, the Merciful. You also learned how corrupting bribery can be in the society. Should not this be a deterrent to every God-fearing and faithful believer who is also fearful of Allah’s punishment and caring about his religion and society, to not practice this evil? How could a man with reason strive to destroy and ruin his society? O Muslims! Actions can easily be taught and passed on from one group to another. If bribery’ spreads in one area of this society, it will spread quickly to all the other areas, and the one starting it will be the example for every one until the Day of Resurrection.
Fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and safeguard your religion and the trust you are shouldering the responsibility thereof. Think for a moment of which is better for you: to please Allah by establishing His justice and protecting yourselves from falling in the mud of your lusts, or to be oppressors reclining to the deception of this earthly life and subsequently being subjected to the wrath of Allah. And Allah know best.
O Allah! Guide us and protect us from the causes of ignorance and destruction! Save us from the defects of ourselves! Cause the last of our deeds to be the best and most righteous! And forgive all of us. Amien."
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلا سَدِيدًا"O you who have believed, fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice." - [QS.33:70]
صْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا"He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment." - [QS.33:71]
إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الأمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الإنْسَانُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولا"Indeed, we offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, and they declined to bear it and feared it; but man [undertook to] bear it. Indeed, he was unjust and ignorant." - [QS.33:72]
لِيُعَذِّبَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمُشْرِكَاتِ وَيَتُوبَ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا"[It was] so that Allah may punish the hypocrite men and hypocrite women and the men and women who associate others with Him and that Allah may accept repentance from the believing men and believing women. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful." - [QS.33:73]
- Darussalam, Selected Friday Sermons, Darussalam Publisher.
