Are gifts presented to a government employee by his friends in exchange for his help to them, without him soliciting anything in return, considered bribery or unlawful, and what should he do with them if that is the case?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If the gifts are related to the work, then it is not permissible to accept them, based on the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "Gifts to workers are unlawful acquisition (ghulul)." They must be returned to their owners or their value if they are damaged, or to the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal) if their owners cannot be identified. However, if the gift is from a friend and has no relation to the work, then there is no harm in accepting it.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/117490
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 117490
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy