What does Islam say about corruption and bribery?

Islam treats corruption and bribery as serious violations of justice, not mere administrative infractions. The Quran warns, 'Do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, nor offer it as a bribe to authorities so that you may knowingly and wrongfully devour a portion of others' property' (2:188), explicitly naming bribery as a form of unjust wealth acquisition. The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said that Allah's curse falls upon both the one who offers a bribe and the one who accepts it (Sunan Abu Dawood 3580), placing moral responsibility on both parties to a corrupt transaction. Classical Islamic legal scholars distinguished between a bribe intended to secure an unjust outcome (forbidden) and a gift given to obtain a right one is already entitled to without wrongdoing (a more debated category), showing the tradition's attentiveness to nuance and context rather than blanket rules. Corruption in public office was viewed as a betrayal of trusteeship (amanah), since officials handling public resources are considered accountable to God as well as to the people they serve — a theme that continues to inform Muslim discussions of governance and public integrity today.

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