His Eminence Sheikh Abdurrahman Al-Sudais ?May Allah protect him? delivered the Friday khutbah titled “Integrity versus Bribery” in which he talked about the virtues of integrity and provided evidence from the Qur’?n and Sunnah. He also warned against bribery and its repercussions on the individual and the nation both in the herein and the hereafter.

Praise be to Allah! We thank You, our Lord, and seek Your assistance. We beseech you for forgiveness and repent unto you! We praise You as the ultimate source of benevolence! Exalted be Your Name! We are unable to speak of You in the most laudatory terms as You do of Yourself.

The Sheikh quotes two lines of poetry:

To you only, one should turn;
Only in You one should put one’s hope, otherwise he will certainly be disappointed.
Only by you, not by anyone else, wishes are realized;
And the speaker, if not abiding by Your law, is certainly a liar.

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except You with no partner. It is You Who has granted those with integrity, supremacy and benevolence, and punished those who prefer worldly gains by inflicting upon them loss and malevolence. I bear witness that Mohammad –our Prophet and Master– is the Servant and Messenger of Allah, protected by virtue and decorated by purity. O Allah, send Your Salat (Grace, Honour, Mercy), peace and blessings on him and on his pure and virtuous family, his Companions who set the most shining examples of integrity, and on the tabi’in and their followers in righteousness.

O Servants of Allah!
Having said that, he whosoever seeks the pinnacle of glory, unmatchable success, and indisputable glory must hold on tight to taqwa (fear of Allah). "And whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam), fears Allâh, and keeps his duty (to Him), such are the successful." [An-Nur: 52]
The Sheikh quotes two lines of poetry:

He who fears Allah deep in his heart,
Obeys his Lord, upholds righteousness in his spirit,
And curbs his desires in submission to the commands of his Lord,
Will achieve an elevated position.

O fellow Muslims!
In a time plagued with materialism, fraught with suspicious ends, preoccupied with principles, virtues, morals and predilections, a precious and dear value shines in the midst of all this hustle and bustle; a value that is deeply settled in people’s hearts and employs nothing but truthfulness to realize its honorable aims; a value that shines with captivating purity and beauty so immaculate that it has become like a golden epitome. The Holy Qur’?n commands people to observe it only because it is the beacon that guides them through the dark.

It is the value of transparency and integrity. Do you know what integrity is? It is an attribute and a merit. Nay! It is a sparkling crown and beautiful attire. It combines the most perfect aspects of benevolence, the most beautiful chastity, the most sublime altruism and the most beneficial nobleness.

A glaring indication and a great sign of integrity manifest themselves in telling the truth. Allah says, "O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Shaitan(Satan). Verily, he is to you an open enemy" [Al-Baqarah: 168] "O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allâh – Islâmic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with, and be grateful to Allâh, if it is indeed He Whom you worship." [Al-Baqarah: 172]

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, “Wealth is not the goods and chattels that you possess; wealth is rather contentment of the self.” He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) also says, “Leave what is suspicious and go for what is above suspicion.” He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) also said, “Whoever abstains from interdicted desires, Allah will grant them chastity, and whoever maintains self-sufficiency, Allah will make them self-sufficient.”  [Narrated by Al-Bukhari]. Allahu Akbar (Allah is great)! These are the sweet merits; they are as sweet as the syrup of charm. Akbar (Allah is great)! It is eloquence in brevity, pure clarity of the features of transparency and integrity, and the signs of virtue and quick thinking.

O Allah! How graceful this attribute is! It is an attribute meant to be successful. It does not come but from a noble, and righteous person whose heart is wholesome and filled with compassion.
Imam Mawardi –may Allah have mercy on his soul– said, “Chastity, integrity and fending off evil are preconditions to magnanimity and piety.”

The Sheikh is again quoting two lines of poetry:
If someone tells me, “There is a fountain; drink your fill!” I say,
“I can see it, but the soul of a free man can withstand thirst.
I forbid it from what pollutes it
Lest the enemies start raising questions.”

Dear brothers and sisters!
The counterpart of integrity is a sinister act, an evil and diabolical demerit. It is so vicious and detrimental that once it spreads in a nation, it forebodes its downfall and entangles it into misfortunes. It is bribery. O servants of Allah! It is proof of debasement and meanness, treachery and shrewdness; it is one of the major sins by ijmaa’ (consensus).  

Bribery is treason against the nation, and a social plague. It is a trap for self-effacement, and a gap in altruism. It is a disgrace for honesty and an expression of debauchery, causing disruption and failure of the nation’s interests and leading it to paralysis and disruption. It makes efforts of the sincere cowardly and useless, and their endeavors rewarded by ingratitude and evil.

Many a right has been violated and lost on account of bribery. One may wonder how much wealth has been dissipated, how many families and homes have been destroyed, potentialities and energies wasted because of it and its perpetrators –may Allah make them only few! Allah is our Protector and to Him they shall account. "Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby." [Al-Baqarah: 79]

Allah (?) says, "And eat up not one another’s property unjustly (in any illegal way e.g. stealing, robbing, deceiving, etc.), nor give bribery to the rulers (judges before presenting your cases) that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully. " [Al-Baqarah: 188]

Imam Al-Qurtubi –may Allah have mercy on his soul– said, “It means, do not combine taking each other’s property unjustly and giving false allegations to your rulers.”

In another extremely severe admonition to the perpetrators of bribery Allah (?) says, "And you see many of them (Jews) hurrying towards sin and transgression, and eating illegal things [as bribes and Ribâ(usury)]. Evil indeed is that which they have been doing." [Al-Ma’idah: 62]
Allah (?) has forbidden the unjust acquisition of wealth and threatened offenders with severe punishment.

How many faces have regrettably been tarred by bribery, and fell from prosperity to calamity by forbidden acts?

Suffice it to remind you of the Prophet’s Hadith reported by Abdullah Ibn Omar –may Allah be pleased with both of them– “The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) cursed both the recipient and donor of bribery” [Narrated and authenticated by At-Tirmidhi]. Ibn Habban and Al-Hakim added, “and the go-between” i.e. the intermediary who tries to close the deal between the two sides.

All three sinners deserve to be accursed, i.e., deprived of Allah’s mercy, because they have committed such a hideous act of corruption that they have become incorrigible as far as their society and nation are concerned.

The Sheikh recites two lines of poetry:
The banner of shame and corruption and all
That destroys the bastion of nobility are embodied in
Bribery whose perpetrator is expelled
From the mercy of the Worshipped (i.e. Allah).

Bribery –O servants of Allah– converts what is abominably wrong into something that appears to be right and bright. It causes corruption, paths of evil and unjust gains to thrive. Bribery makes the Ummah feel it is fine to approach the gates of the forbidden, follow the paths of crime, and commit sins. Therefore, it dissipates unity, pollutes clean springs with impurities, suspends legality, sanctifies the forbidden, stifles creativity, and assassinates ambition and the intelligence. It comes as a fake gloss-over and under plethora of false names such as gift, reward, encouragement, in recognition of effort, honorarium, etc. However, bribery will remain bribery regardless of its different sugar-coated names, and the fake descriptions it may assume.

Abu Humaid Al-Sa’idi (?) said, “The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) employed a man from Al-Azd named Ibn Allutbiyah to collect charity. When the man returned, he said, “This is yours and this had been gifted to me.” The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) went up the pulpit, thanked Allah (?) and praised Him and said, “I appoint, from amongst you, an administrator for these affairs for which Allah has made me responsible. When that man comes back, he says, ‘This is for you and this has been gifted to me.’ If he tells the truth, then why does he not sit in his parents' house to see if he will be given any gifts? By Allah, if anyone of you receives even an ordinary gift without it being due, he will have to appear before Allah on the Day of Judgment carrying it around his neck.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih]

O Muslim Ummah!
This plight has spread far and wide among a certain group of people whose spirit, but not appearance, has been corrupted. They have betrayed Muslims’ trust and committed an act of defiance against Shari’a laws and the dictates of integrity and determination. They have desecrated their bodies and souls with evil bribery and servility, unlawful money and treachery thinking that they have secured a fertile pasture to graze, and that their dreams have come true. But alas! They have disgrace in the herein, and if they stay unrepentant, will end up in the hellfire in the hereafter –we seek refuge in Allah (?).

The Sheikh quotes two lines of poetry:
Take a lesson from "It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood",
you will truly find "It has been revealed in truthfulness."
Abandon playing tricks therein, and rely on Allah;
for the trick lies in abandoning tricks.

In his “Sunan,” Abu Dawud, quoting Abu Hurairah (?), reported that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, “Whoever intercedes for his brother and receives a gift in return and accepts it, he has indeed knocked one of the doors of usury.”

O Lord! Incredible! Servants of Allah, how strange! There is bribery in employment and promotion, bribery in qualifications and diplomas, bribery in government procedures, in bids and tenders, in violating the terms and specifications of contracts, bribery to break the ranks of the Ummah and bribery in construction projects.

For the weak-willed, this detestable act became a rather constant obligation. Those horrible ordeals and capital offences signal a prompt value annihilation that scares and threatens societies and exterminates and scatters their resources; for glories and civilizations can only be built on the pillars of good morals and ideal values.

 When nations are afflicted with immorality and social perversity, they become weak and lose the bases of their being; one of the worst afflictions that might strike societies is when a group of officials unjustly use the nation's public property, suspend people's rights and hinder projects in order to embezzle people.

Thus, those who practice bribery in order to get mean gains, lose their faith, while those who accept bribery will only gain loss and grief by an evil losing act.

The sheikh quotes two lines of poetry:
Let not The Lord of Majesty find you trying
To clarify a suppressed thing or efface a manifest one;
For what will your answer be if asked on the Day of Judgment
When the bribed ones are standing on the edge of Hell Fire?

Brothers and sisters in Faith!
One of the most important factors that lead deep into such frivolity is the willingness on the part of some people to compromise their sense of responsibility, honesty and guidance; they shy away from warning people against bribery and corruption; on the contrary they flatter those who are involved rather than deny their acts. In fact, the corrupt might even be looked at with satisfaction and appreciation and praised for his ‘decency’, ‘shrewdness’ and ‘prudence’. From this, we seek Allah's help!

Indeed, it is the responsibility of the honest, tough officials to punish those who take bribery, waste public property, or use their positions or job status for personal interests and gains.

The Sheikh quotes two lines of poetry:
Do not be gentle with the briber and praise him,
But be tough with him then he comes along obediently and helpfully.
For fire makes hard iron flexible,
Though pouring the ocean on it will never make it so.

O Muslim Ummah!
 This painful reality which is full of shortcomings and mistakes appeals to all societies to strengthen the values of transparency, observation, honesty, and accountability. It demands the immunization of the Ummah with the power of religious faith and the fear of The Majestic, The Most Powerful, and The Firm. Moreover, efforts should be joined together and nations should gather to eradicate and categorically reject the evils of bribery. Upon doing this, nations may prosper and prevail, achieve the highest wishes and goals, and reach their intended glory by the Will of Allah, the One, the Worshiped.  

These are our hopes and wishes, and by Allah we are inspired to say and do righteous things and to achieve success in this life and the Hereafter. By the help of Allah, this will not be difficult to achieve, for He (?) is the Owner of favors.

O Allah! Grant us from Your Bounty what is halal (lawful) and make it sufficientfor us against what is haram (unlawful), O Allah! Grant us from Your Bounty what is halal (lawful) and make it sufficientfor us against what is haram (unlawful), and make in our obedience to You much blessing and invincibility against Your disobedience, and spare us, O Allah, by Your grace, the need for others; O Allah! Grant us from Your worldly blessings a wealth that does not turn us into oppressors, and a health that does not make us oblivious (of You) and spare us, O Allah, by Your grace, the need for those whom You spared the need for us, O You the Generous, The Bountiful!

I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan:  "That home of the Hereafter (i.e. Paradise), We shall assign to those who rebel not against the truth with pride and oppression in the land nor do mischief by committing crimes. And the good end is for the Muttaqûn (the pious – See V.2:2)."  [Al-Qasas: 83]

O Allah! We implore You to bless us by the Noble Qur'?n and the Sunnah and to make them beneficial to us and to raise our status through the verses and wisdom they contain! This being said, I ask Allah, the Almighty, to forgive you and me and all Muslims of all sins; so ask Him for forgiveness and turn in repentance to Him, for my Lord is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.