Q. I have been working in a company since its inception 18 years ago, and the present general manager is a close friend of mine as we joined the company at the same time. When my son got married, he gave generous gifts to both my son and his bride. When I went on a home visit recently I brought him a gift, and then when my son came for a visit from abroad, he brought him a gift. However, he subsequently told me that he has not used the gifts because he read a Hadith which says that “a gift given to bosses are unlawful.” Please comment.
S.D. Basha
A. Your general manager seems to be a pious and God-fearing man. May God strengthen him in his resolve to abide by Islamic teachings.
The Hadith he has quoted to you is authentic. However, in the first instance, it speaks about gifts given to governors and their deputies, as well as government officials. Such gifts are given normally in order to gain an unfair advantage. They may not be a straightforward bribe, or seeking a particular gain, or expecting that the official will turn a blind eye to a violation of the rules by the person giving the gift, yet such a gift may have the same result should the occasion arise and the giver needs such an unfair advantage. Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) warned strongly against government officials receiving any gifts. Once the Prophet sent a man to collect zakah in a particular area. When the man came back, he gave the Prophet the zakah he collected and said to him that he had been given certain gifts. The Prophet addressed the community, saying: “How come that I send some of you to do some task and this or that man comes back to say he has been given gifts. Let him stay at home and find out whether any gifts will be given to him.”
While these Hadiths seem to address a situation with people holding public office, the ruling applies also in private companies where a person is in a responsible position, able to give favors to his staff members. If a gift will make him more willing to grant favors or to overlook violations of the rules, then he must not accept such a gift. On the other hand, if he has a special relationship with one or more of his staff, which takes their dealings out of the context of boss and subordinate, then he may take such a gift. He should then be more careful with his treatment of his friends at work, making sure that he gives them no special favors.
It is up to your general manager to decide what to do with your gifts. It depends how he sees the situation. Should he decide to return your gift, you should not be offended because he is only acting on the basis of religious principles. If he decides to keep them, you should not expect any favors from him in your work relation. On the contrary, he may be more careful with you as a result.
