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Does the Hadith, "May Allah curse the one who gives a bribe, the one who takes a bribe, and the one who brokers between them," apply to someone who works for a company that deals in bribery and receives its information as part of his job, knowing that the company was operating under this system before he joined it and he was not the cause of the introduction between the parties? And is it permissible for him to take a percentage of the profits of this institution in return for his work there, knowing that part of the institution's income is not from suspicious transactions?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is forbidden for an employee to disclose their company's secrets, whether for compensation or not, because it is a betrayal of trust. Allah the Almighty says: "O you who have believed, do not betray Allah and the Messenger or betray your trusts while you know [the consequence]." The amount paid in exchange for disclosure is considered a forbidden bribe, for which the briber, the bribed, and the mediator (ra'ish) are sinful. The ra'ish is the intermediary who walks between them, and this description applies to whoever receives information and conveys it to someone higher up in the company. Therefore, it is forbidden to accept this information and deal with it; otherwise, you would be a participant in the sin. The ruling on taking a percentage of profits depends on the nature of the work: what is permissible, its profits are permissible, and what is forbidden, its profits are forbidden. Every participant in forbidden work receives a share of illicit money proportionate to their involvement.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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