Employee accepting gifts from customers and suppliers
| Fatwa #1551 | Category: Miscellaneous | Country: | Date: 11th July 2025 |
| Fatwa #1551 | Date: 11th July 2025 |
| Category: Miscellaneous | |
| Country: | |
Question
Assalamualaikum
Whats the ruling for gifts taken by an employee from customers and suppliers of the company.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
If a gift is given specifically to the employee by a customer or supplier, without expecting or demanding any others favours in return, then it will be permissible to accept. If the gifts are given with the understanding that the employee will offer favours they would otherwise not receive, then it is akin to a bribe and cannot be accepted.[1]
If the giftor specifically says that the gift is a token of appreciation for services rendered to date, it will be permissible. Similarly, if the gifts are given at common corporate occasions, for example, new years, then it will be permissible.
An easy way to determine permissibility is if the employee were to notify the employer of the gift, would he have cause to object to it? If yes, then that shows there is an element of a bribe. If not, then it will be permissible. To have a clear conscience, it is best to notify the employer when a gift is received.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Bilal Pandor
Concurred by
Mufti Muhammad Patel
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia
المحيط البرهاني في الفقه النعماني (6/ 476) [1]
وشرط الزيادة مطلقاً التزام المال بلا سبب، والتزام المال بلا سبب رشوة حرام
تبيين الحقائق شرح كنز الدقائق وحاشية الشلبي (4/ 126)
(قوله وبطل الضمان) أي؛ لأنه رشوة على البيع لعدم المقابلة بالمبيع
قاموس الفقه ج 3 ص 481