Short answer
Yes. The Prophet ﷺ cursed the one who gives a bribe and the one who takes it. Paying to get what is not yours, jump a queue unfairly or sway an official is haram. Hanafi scholars allow paying only to get a right that is clearly yours, or to stop injustice, when there is no other way; the sin then falls on the taker.
Giving and taking bribes is haram. If a person cannot obtain his established right, or protect himself from oppression, without paying, he may pay and the sin is on the one who takes it. Gifts given to an official because of his position count as bribes.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Allah says: "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" (2:188). The Prophet ﷺ cursed both the briber and the one who takes the bribe.
What counts as a bribe:
- Paying a judge, officer, inspector or clerk to decide in your favour or overlook a rule.
- Paying to get a job, a contract, a grade or a place you are not entitled to, ahead of others.
- "Gifts" to someone with power over your affairs that you would not give if he did not hold that position. When an official the Prophet ﷺ sent to collect zakat said that some of what he brought was a gift to him, the Prophet ﷺ said: why did he not sit in his father's or mother's house and see whether he would be given gifts?
- Kickbacks to a company buyer to choose your supplier.
The narrow exception. Hanafi jurists distinguish paying to take what is not yours from paying to get your own clear right or to remove harm. If a passport, a licence or release of your own goods is held up purely to extract money, and there is no lawful way around it, you may pay; the taker alone sins. This does not cover paying to skip a fair queue, win a tender or avoid a lawful fine.
For employees, check your employer's rules on gifts from clients; accepting what your position attracts is a breach of trust. Tips for a service that is your job, freely given after the fact, are a separate question: see Is tipping halal?
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:188
وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَٰطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا۟ بِهَآ إِلَى ٱلْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ فَرِيقًۭا مِّنْ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٨٨﴾
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].
Bribing those in authority to take others' wealth is forbidden.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3580
Grading to be checked... لعن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الراشي والمرتشي ...
"The Messenger of Allah cursed the one who gives a bribe and the one who takes it."
Both sides of a bribe are cursed.
Sahih al-Bukhari 7174
Sahih... فهلا جلس في بيت أبيه وأمه فينظر أيهدى له أم لا ...
"Why did he not sit in his father's and mother's house and see whether he would be given gifts or not?"
Gifts that come because of a person's office are not his to keep.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Qada', on bribery (al-rishwa). Sets out the types of bribe and the case of paying to obtain one's right or ward off harm.
- al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, Kitab Adab al-Qadi, on gifts to judges and officials. Gifts given because of an office are treated as bribes.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.