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What is the ruling on a merchant accepting a gift from a debtor in exchange for increasing his profit through cooperation with other parties?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

There is no harm for a Muslim to improve their financial and moral standing, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer."

As for the requested gift, if it is in exchange for nullifying someone else's right, then it is a forbidden bribe, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Allah has cursed the one who gives a bribe and the one who takes it." However, it is permissible to give it if a Muslim cannot obtain their right except by it, and the sin is on the taker, not the giver.

If the gift is in exchange for a service or work they perform outside the scope of their official duties, there is no objection to giving it.

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

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