Yeyote aliye na mamlaka yanayomlazimu kutekeleza maslahi miongoni mwa maslahi ya watu, basi fedha anazochukua ili atekeleze maslahi hayo ni rushwa, wala si ujira kwa namna yoyote ile. Tofauti kati ya ujira na rushwa ni kwamba ujira huchukuliwa badala ya kufanya kitendo ambacho hakimlazimu; ama rushwa huchukuliwa badala ya kutekeleza kitendo anacholazimika kukitekeleza bila malipo kutoka kwa yule ambaye kwa ajili yake kitendo kinafanywa, au badala ya kutotekeleza kitendo ambacho amelazimika kukitekeleza. Kwa hiyo, rushwa ni fedha inayotolewa ili kutekeleza maslahi yanayomlazimu mpokeaji kuyatekeleza, au ili mpokeaji atekeleze maslahi kwa kutofanya kile ambacho analazimika kukifanya, iwe maslahi hayo ni ya haki au batili. Mtoaji wa rushwa huitwa (rashi), mpokeaji wake huitwa (murtashi), na mpatanishi kati yao huitwa (raish).

Whoever possesses an authority which obliges upon him to fulfil a benefit among the people’s benefits, then the money which he takes in order to execute the benefit is bribery nor is it a wage in any way whatsoever. The distinction between the wage and bribery is that the wage is taken in exchange for undertaking an action which is not obliged upon him; as for bribery, it is taken in exchange for performing an action he is obliged to perform without exchange from the one for whose sake the action is performed or in exchange for not performing an action obliged upon him to perform. Accordingly bribery is the money given in order to carry out a benefit obliged upon the receiver to execute or to execute a benefit by the receiver not doing that which he is obliged to do, whether the benefit is right or something void. The payer of the bribe is called the (rashi), its receiver is the (murtashi) and the mediator between them is the (raish).

Rushwa imeharamishwa kwa maandiko wazi. Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi na Ibn Majah wamepokea kutoka kwa Abdullah bin Amr aliyesema: Mtume wa Allah ﷺ alisema

Bribery is forbidden by the explicit texts. Ahmad and Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi and ibn Majah narrated from Abdullah bin Amur who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said

Ahmad alisimulia kutoka kwa Tawban aliyesema

Ahmad narrated from Tawban who said

Ahadithi hizi ni za jumla, zinazohusu rushwa yote, iwe ni kutafuta haki au kitu batili, iwe ni kutafuta kuondoa madhara au kupata manufaa, kuondoa dhulma au kulazimisha dhulma; zote ni haramu. Haikusemwa kwamba rushwa ni haramu kwa sababu ni kutafuta kitu batili au kupuuza ukweli, hivyo ikiwa ni hivyo basi ni haramu. Ama ikiwa ni kutafuta ukweli na kuondoa dhulma, basi inaruhusiwa. Haya hayasemwi kwa sababu hii ina maana kwamba kuharamishwa kwa rushwa kumekuja kwa sababu maalum, kwamba ikiwepo sababu hiyo (‘illah) basi hukmu ipo, na inapoondoka sababu hiyo hukmu huondoka. Hili si sahihi kwa sababu matini zote zilizokuja kuharamisha rushwa hazina sababu yoyote iliyotajwa katika kuharamishwa kwake. Hakuna ndani yake wala katika matini yoyote sababu inayoweza kutolewa kutoka humo. Basi kuharamishwa kwake ni kwa matini iliyo wazi isiyo na sababu, hivyo hakuna sababu yoyote kabisa kwake. Wala haisemwi kwamba rushwa inapochukuliwa kutoka kwa mwenye haki ili atimize haki yake, basi inaruhusiwa kwa sababu ni kuchukua fedha ili kutekeleza jambo linaloruhusiwa, ambalo ni kutimiza haki. Hili halisemwi kwa sababu matini zilizokataza rushwa zimekuja za jumla, hivyo zinabaki katika ujumla wake zikihusu aina zote za rushwa. Hivyo, mtu akitaka kubainisha na kutoa baadhi ya aina za rushwa, jambo hilo linahitaji matini nyingine ya kuzibainisha, kwa kuwa matini haibainishwi isipokuwa kwa matini ya Kitabu au Sunnah. Hakuna matini iliyokuja, hivyo inabaki kuwa ya jumla bila kubainishwa. Kwa hiyo aina zote za rushwa ni haramu, bila tofauti kati ya kuwa ni kwa kutafuta haki au kutafuta kitu batili, kuondoa au kulazimisha dhulma, kuondoa madhara au kupata manufaa; yote haya yanaingia chini ya ujumla wa matini.

These ahadith are general covering all bribery whether it is seeking a right or something null whether it is seeking to repel a harm or gain a benefit, to remove imposing injustice; all are forbidden. It is not said that bribery is forbidden because it is seeking something void or neglecting the truth, so if it like this then it is forbidden. Whereas if it is in seeking the truth of lifting injustice, then it is allowed. This is not said because this means that forbidding bribery came reasoned so if it exists the rule (‘illah) exists and when it departs the rule departs. This is not correct because all the texts which came forbidding bribery are not reasoned in their forbiddance by any reason. There does not exist therein or in any text what could be deduced there from as a reason. Accordingly its forbiddance is by the unreasoned explicit text so there is absolutely no reason for it. Nor is it said that when bribery is taken from the owner of a right to fulfil the right, it is permitted as it is taking money to perform an allowed action which is fulfilling the right. This is not said because the texts which forbade bribery came general so they remain in their generality covering all types of bribery. So if one wants to specify and exclude some types of bribery, this matter requires another text to specify them because the text is not specified except by a text of the Book or Sunnah. No text came so it remains general without specification. Hence all types of bribery are forbidden without distinction between its being in seeking a right or seeking something void, lifting or imposing injustice, repelling harm or achieving a benefit, all these enter under the generality of the text.

Kwa hiyo, hili ni zuio katika hukumu, hivyo kinachotumika kwa kilichozuiliwa ni kile kisichozuiliwa (mtlaq). Hili halisemwi kwa sababu neno ambalo maelezo yake yanachukuliwa kuwa ni sifa ni lile lisilozuiliwa (mutlaq), si neno la jumla (am). Kwa neno la jumla, ufafanuzi (takhsees) hutokea humo, si kuzuia; kwa hiyo, ikiwa kuna kizuizi nalo, basi ni kutoka aina ya kubainisha waziwazi (tansees) moja ya vitengo vyake (afrad), si kutoka aina ya kuzuia. Hivyo basi, mrtashi (mtoa rushwa), mpokea rushwa na mpatanishi ni maneno ya jumla, wala si maneno yasiyozuiliwa. Kwa hiyo kauli yake "katika hukumu" si kizuizi kwake, kiasi kwamba hadithi zilizobaki zifungamanishwe nalo. Badala yake ni kubainisha waziwazi kitengo kimoja miongoni mwa vitengo vyake, na hii ndiyo kanuni. Hivyo hadithi zote zinabaki za jumla na zinaendelea kuwa katika ujumla wake. Basi rushwa yote imeharamishwa, iwe kwa hakimu, afisa au wengineo. Kumhonga askari ili kuzuia madhara ni sawa na kumhonga hakimu; na rushwa kwa mkurugenzi wa kampuni ili aajiriwe humo au asifukuzwe kazi ni sawa na kumhonga mtozaji kodi au msambazaji wa propaganda ili asiisambaze. Kumhonga kiongozi wa wafanyakazi ili awapunguzie kazi au mambo mengine kama hayo, au kumhonga mfanyakazi wa mfanyabiashara anayepewa na mteja kwa kubadilishana na kumchagulia bidhaa mpya miongoni mwa bidhaa, au mfanyakazi wa chapisho na mwandishi wa kitabu ili amkamilishie kazi yake bila mwenye chapisho kujua; yote haya ni rushwa, na yote ni haramu kwa sababu ni fedha zinazochukuliwa kwa kubadilishana na kutenda kitendo ambacho alikuwa na wajibu wa kukitenda bila malipo kutoka kwa yule ambaye kitendo kinatendwa kwa ajili yake. Pia inaingia katika rushwa kile ambacho baadhi yao hulipa kwa mtu mwenye mamlaka mbele ya afisa ili amtumie ushawishi wake mbele yake ili kutimiza haja yake; lakini si afisa ndiye anayechukua fedha, bali anayechukua fedha ni yule anayezungumza na afisa, hivyo fedha hulipwa kwake kwa kubadilishana na kuzungumza naye. Hii pia ni rushwa kwa sababu pesa hizi zinatolewa kama malipo ya kutekeleza manufaa kutoka kwa yule ambaye ni wajibu wake kutekeleza hayo, kwa hiyo ni rushwa iwe yule aliyetekeleza manufaa amezichukua au hakuzichukua. Sharti la kuthibitisha kwamba pesa ni rushwa si kwamba aliyetekeleza moja kwa moja manufaa hayo ndiye apokee; sharti ni kwamba pesa hizi zitolewe kama malipo ya kutekeleza kitendo hicho, iwe anayezichukua ni yeye mwenyewe, rafiki yake, mwenye mamlaka juu yake, jamaa yake, bosi wake, au mtu mwingine yeyote, kwa kuwa kiini cha kuthibitisha kwamba pesa ni rushwa ni kwamba zinachukuliwa kama malipo ya kutekeleza manufaa ambayo yangepaswa kutekelezwa bila malipo na yule anayeyatekeleza.

So this is restricted in judgement so the absolute is applied on the restricted. This is not said because the word whose description is considered a description is the absolute/unrestricted not the general word. As for the general word, specification occurs therein not restriction; so if there comes a restriction with it then it is from the type of stating clearly (tansees) one of its units (afrad) not from the type of restriction. Hence the word briber, bribe-taker and mediator are general words and not unrestricted words, thus his statement “in judgement” is not a restriction for it such that the remaining ahadith are carried upon it. Rather it is stating clearly a unit among its units and this is the rule, so all the ahadith remain general and they remain in their generality. So all bribery is forbidden whether to the judge or official or others. Bribing the policeman to repel harm is like bribing the judge and the bribery of the director of a company so as to be employed therein or so that he is not dismissed is like bribing the collector of taxes or conveyor of propaganda so as not to convey it. Bribing the head of workers so as to lighten the work for them or other than that like bribing the worker of the trader given to him by the customer in exchange for selecting for him new goods among the goods, or the worker of the printing press by the writer of a book to perfect his work without the owner of the printing press. All these are bribery and all are forbidden because it is money taken in exchange for performing an action he is obliged to perform without exchange from the one on whose behalf he is performing the action. It enters into bribery what some of them pay to someone with authority before an official to use his influence before him to fulfil his need, but it is not the official who takes the money but rather the one taking the money is the one who talks to the official so money is paid to him in exchange for his talking to him. This is also bribery because this money is given in exchange for executing a benefit from the one upon whom it is obligatory to fulfil it so it is bribery whether the one who executed the benefit took it or not. It is not a condition in verifying the money being bribery that the one who directly performs the execution of the benefit; rather the condition in the money being bribery is that this money be given in exchange for executing the action whether the person who takes it or his friend or the one with authority before him or his relative or boss or other than these since the value in verifying the money being bribery is that it is taken in exchange for executing a benefit to be executed without exchange from the one executing it.

Kutoka kwa Buraydah, kutoka kwa Mtume ﷺ ambaye alisema:

From Buraydah from the Prophet (saw) who said:

Au Mtume (ﷺ) alisema kuwa ni suht (haramu), yaani pesa iliyokatazwa. Al-Khateeb ameinukuu katika Talkhis Al-Mutashabbih kutoka kwa Anas kwamba Mtume (ﷺ) alisema:

Or the Messenger (saw) had called it suht (illegal) which is forbidden money. Al-Khateeb extracted in Talkhis Al-Mutashabbih from Anas that the Prophet (saw) said:

Imepokewa kutoka kwa Masruq, kutoka kwa Ibn Mas'ud, kwamba aliulizwa kuhusu suht (mali haramu), je, ni rushwa? Akasema: "Hapana, lakini suht (mali haramu) ni mtu anapotafuta msaada katika dhulma, kisha akakupa zawadi. Usiipokee." Abu Wail Shaqeeq bin Salamah, mmoja wa Maimamu wa Tabi'in, alisema: "Ikiwa hakimu atapokea zawadi, basi amekula suht (mali haramu). Na ikiwa atapokea rushwa, basi amefikia kiwango hicho." Hadithi hizi zote, hadithi ya Abu Hamid, hadithi ya Buraydah, na hadithi ya Anas, zote zinaeleza wazi kwamba zawadi zinazotolewa kwa mtu anayesimamia shughuli za jumla ni haramu, iwe zinatolewa baada ya kutekeleza kitendo fulani au kabla ya kukitekeleza, au zinatolewa kwake kwa sababu yeye ndiye mwenye mamlaka katika jambo lolote, au zinatolewa kwake kwa sababu ana mamlaka kwa yule ambaye mikononi mwake kuna utekelezaji wa manufaa; yote haya ni haramu. Neno "zawadi" limekuja katika hadithi ya:

It is related about Masruq from ibn Masoud that he was asked about suht (illegal), is it bribery? He said: ‘No, but suht (illegal) is that a man seeks assistance upon an injustice so he gives you a gift. Do not accept it.’ Abu Wail Shaqeeq bin Salamah, one of the Imams of the Tabi’in, said: “If the judge takes the gift, then he has eaten suht (illegal wealth). And if he takes bribery, then he has reached thereby.’ All these ahadith—the hadith of Abu Hamid and the hadith of Buraydah and the hadith of Anas—all of them are explicit in that the gifts presented to the one supervising the general actions are forbidden whether it is presided after performing a specific action or before performing it, or it is presented to him because he is the one in authority in any matter, or it is presented to him because he has authority with the one in whose hands are executing the benefits; all these are forbidden. The word gifts came in the hadith of:

Zawadi zote kwa watawala kwa ujumla ni haramu. Hili linafananishwa na watawala wote wanaosimamia utekelezaji wa maslahi ya watu, ambao wanalazimika kuyatekeleza bila malipo yoyote kutoka kwa yule ambaye kwa ajili yake yanatekelezwa; ni haramu kwao kuchukua zawadi, au zawadi kupokelewa kutoka kwa wale ambao kwa ajili yao maslahi haya yanatekelezwa. Askari polisi, mkuu wa kampuni, kiongozi wa wafanyakazi, na yeyote aliye kama wao; ni haramu kwao kuchukua zawadi, na zawadi zao ni (suht) (haramu).

Is general covering all gifts to governors. Analogised upon all the governors who are supervising the execution of the people’s benefit who are obliged to execute them without exchange taken from the one for whom it is executed; it is forbidden for them to take a gift or a gift be taken from those for whom this benefit is being executed. The policeman, head of a company, leader of workers, and whoever is like them; it is forbidden for them to take gifts and the gifts for them are (suht) (illegal).

Hata hivyo, zawadi kwa watu hawa ni haramu ikiwa si desturi ya anayetoa zawadi kuwapa. Lakini ikiwa ilikuwa desturi yake kuwapa zawadi, iwe walikuwa wakisimamia utekelezaji wa maslahi au la, basi zawadi hiyo inaruhusiwa kwao bila lawama yoyote ndani yake. Hii ni kwa sababu Mtume ﷺ anasema katika hadithi:

However, the gift to these people is forbidden if it is not the custom of the one giving the gift to present it to them. However, if it was of his custom to gift to them whether they were supervising the execution of benefits or not, then the gift is permitted for them without any blame in it. This is because the Messenger (saw) says in the hadith:

Maana yake ni kwamba zawadi anayopewa mtu anapokaa katika nyumba ya baba yake na mama yake bila kuwa mtawala ni halali. Hii ina maana kwamba zawadi hii, ambayo jambo lake ni kwamba mtoaji wake angempa mtu huyo kama asingekuwa akisimamia, ni halali katika hali ya yeye kusimamia utekelezaji wa manufaa, kama ilivyo halali katika hali ya yeye kutosimamia utekelezaji wa manufaa. Kwa hiyo hadithi za katazo hazihusu jambo hili, nalo limetengwa kwa ufahamu wa hadithi.

Its understanding is that the gift which is gifted to him while he sits in the house of his father and his mother without being a governor is permitted. This means that this gift, whose affair is that its presenter would gift it to the person if he were not supervising, is permitted in the situation of his supervising the execution of benefits as it is permitted in the situation of his not supervising the execution of benefits. So the ahadith of prohibition do not apply upon it and it is excluded by the understanding of the hadith.