Paying a gratuity

7-7-2002 | IslamWeb

Question:

If someone invited a special Madhuon (the man who does the marriage contract), should the groom give money to the man who helped bring the Madhuon? Is this a type bribery (Rashwa) or no? What is the ruling on giving money for business like (Samsara: the middle man) e.g. I get a customer for person A to buy his property and gives me a 5-10 percent of whatever its sells for... Is this money Haram or Halal?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

If a person gives some money for someone to help him bring the Madhoun (The one who performs marriage ceremonies), this is not a bribe as it is either a gift or a recompense for the work he carried out.
So, if the money given is not specified beforehand, it is a gift; if it specified it is recompense.
As for Samsara (brokerage) which means someone getting a broker between two people in a given transaction to complete it, this is lawful provided it does not involve buying, selling, or dealing in something which is forbidden.
Allah knows best.