Is it haram to bribe an official?

Yes, bribing an official is haram, and so is accepting a bribe. The Prophet ﷺ cursed both the one who gives a bribe and the one who takes it. Paying an official to bend the rules, skip a queue or ignore a violation is a serious sin, and in the West it is also a crime.

What the Quran and Sunnah say

The Quran mentions bribery directly, describing people who pass money to those in power to take other people's rights:

وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَـٰطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا۟ بِهَآ إِلَى ٱلْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ فَرِيقًا مِّنْ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ "And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful]." Quran 2:188

Abdullah ibn Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ cursed the one who gives a bribe and the one who takes it (Sunan Abi Dawud 3580). A curse means being kept far from Allah's mercy, which shows how serious this is.

What counts as a bribe?

A bribe is anything of value given to someone in authority so they do what they shouldn't, or do their duty only for you. Examples:

Cash to a police officer to drop a ticket or charge.
A "gift" to a council officer to approve a permit faster.
Paying an inspector to overlook a safety problem.
Money to a border or visa officer to move your file ahead.

The Prophet ﷺ once sent a man to collect charity, and he came back saying some of it had been given to him as a gift. The Prophet ﷺ asked why he didn't sit in his parents' house and see whether anyone gave him gifts then (Sahih al-Bukhari 7174). Gifts that come only because of someone's office are not really gifts.

"Everyone does it back home"

Some converts married into families from countries where small payments to officials are normal. Custom doesn't make a sin halal. Many scholars do allow a person who is being unjustly denied a clear right, with no other way out, to pay to get that right, putting the sin on the official who demands it. That is a narrow exception for real oppression, not a shortcut for getting ahead. In the UK, the US and Europe there are almost always legal routes: complaints, appeals and ombudsmen.

Honesty with the state

Dealing honestly with officials goes together with honest forms and fair taxes. See Is it haram to lie on government forms? and Do Muslims have to pay taxes?

Key points

Giving and taking bribes are both haram.
"Gifts" given because of someone's job can be bribes.
Cultural habit doesn't make bribery halal.
Use complaints and appeals instead of paying your way.

Tip: If an official ever hints that money would "help," stay polite, don't pay, and note the name and date. Then ask for the formal process or report it. You protect yourself and the next person in the queue.

Is it haram to bribe an official?

What the Quran and Sunnah say

What counts as a bribe?

"Everyone does it back home"

Honesty with the state

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