Accepting money from the patients who visit the clinic
Q: I am a young Algerian man and I work as an office assistant in a private clinic where I receive patients and arrange their turns to be checked by the doctor for a monthly salary of four thousand five hundred Algerian Dinar. This salary is very low and does not cover the basic needs of my family, bearing in mind that the average salaries in my country range from four thousand to ten thousand Algerian Dinar. To be specific,
sometimes patients who visit the clinic kindly give me some money. They do so willingly as a sort of financial help and the doctor knows about it.
It is also worth mentioning that I do not provide any special service to patients who give me this money. Nevertheless, some of my friends who are knowledge seekers advised me not to accept it. Others told me that taking the money is Mubah (permissible). What do I have to do then? Please provide me with your beneficial answer. May Allah preserve you.
A:
It is impermissible for you to receive any money from these patients. This is because your (Part No. 23; Page No. 566) job is to arrange patients' turns to be checked by the doctor and if you get any payment from them it will be regarded as a Haram (prohibited) bribe. This is because when a patient pays you something, they do so to get a preceding turn or to be given general preference over other patients. To conclude, it is Wajib (obligatory) on you to employ honesty and fairness between patients and not to accept any payment from them.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.