Is a gift given to a manager at work, which was requested from him after he started the job, and is considered customary in the work environment, and is given secretly without the knowledge of colleagues to avoid embarrassment—is it classified as a gift or a bribe? And what is the legitimate criterion for differentiating between them?

A gift becomes a bribe if it is given in exchange for a necessary action or for abandoning a falsehood. Both the briber and the bribed deserve the warning (of punishment). Allah Almighty said: (And do not consume your properties among yourselves through falsehood, and do not present it to the rulers that you may consume a portion of the properties of the people unlawfully while you know). And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Allah curses the briber and the bribed." So, if a gift leads to the annulment of a right or the performance of a duty, it is a forbidden bribe. Otherwise, there is no harm in it, provided that advice is not given to pay it, in order to block the means (to corruption).