Peace and Mercy of Allah be with you all and may Allah bless you in this world and in the hereafter for your unselfish effort in guiding our brother Muslim in the way of Allah. Dear brothers, my friend is working in the forein embassy in Riyadh and the nature of his work is Interpreter assisting foreign workers in their hearing at the Saudi Labor Commission and sometimes in the Shariah Courts, he wants to know if some of the workers he assisted in the payment of their monetary entitlements from their employer e.i. they received their end of service awards and unpaid salararies and others monetary rights, if they give him some amounts as form of thanking him is it permissible in Islam to accept that amount knowing the following facts: * He is receiving monthly salary for that specific work. * He did not ask any amount from the workers in fact he refused in the first palce but the workers insisted as part of their thanks for him in assisting them during their hearings. thank you very much and please advise me so that i can advise my freind what he should do>

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

As long as your friend earns a salary for the work he does for the workers, he is not allowed to take any money from them for that work unless his employer permits him to benefit of what he is given. That is due to what is related by Abu Humayd As-Saa‘idi who said: The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, employed a man named Ibn Al-Lutbiyyah, from Al-Azd tribe, to collect the Zakah. When he came forth (after collections) he said: “This is for you and this was given to me as a gift.” So the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stood and spoke, saying: “Why didn't he remain in his father's house or his mother's house and see whether gifts would be given to him or not?” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Based on that, your friend has to inform his employer about what the workers give to him. If they allowed him to take it and benefit from it, then he is allowed, otherwise he is not.

Allaah Knows best.