Dought & clear - , Accepting a gift from a kaafir on the day of his festival

My neighbour is an American Christian, and she and her family brought
me a gift when it was Christmas. I could not refuse the gift, lest she
be offended.
Can I accept this gift, as the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) accepted gifts from kaafirs?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The basic principle is that it is permissible to accept gifts from
kaafirs,so as to soften their hearts and make Islam attractive to
them, as theProphet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
accepted giftsfrom some of the kaafirs,such as the gift of al-Muqawqis
etc.
Al-Bukhaari gave a chapter in his Saheeh the title of: Accepting gifts
from the mushrikeen. He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, narrating from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Ibraaheem (peace
be upon him) migrated with Saarah and entereda city in which there
wasa king or a tyrant, and he said: 'Give her Haajar (as a gift).'"
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was given
as a gift a (roast) sheep in which there was poison. Abu Humayd said:
The king of Aylah gave the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) a white mule and a cloak, and wrote to him. And he mentioned
the story of the Jewish woman and her gift of a poisoned sheep to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Secondly:
It is permissible for a Muslim to give gifts to kaafirs and mushriks,
with the aim of softening their hearts towards Islam, especiallyif
they are relatives or neighbours.
'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) gave a hullah (suit) to his
mushrik brother in Makkah, as was narratedby al-Bukhaari (2619).
But it is not permissible to give a kaafir a gift on the day of one of
his festivals, because that is regarded as approving of or
participating in celebration of the false festival.
If the gift is something that will help in celebrating the festival,
such as food, candles and the like, then it is even more haraam, and
some of the scholars are of the view that this is kufr.
Al-Zayla'i said in Tabyeenal-Haqaa'iq (6/228): Giving gifts on the
occasion of Nayrooz and Mahrjaan [two non-Islamic Persian festivals]
is not permissible, i.e., giving gifts on these two days is haraam,
and is in fact kufr. Abu Hafs and Kabeer (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: If a man were to worship Allaah for fifty years, then on
the day of Nayrooz he were to give an egg as a gift to one ofthe
mushrikeen, intending thereby to venerate that day, he would have
committed kufr and his good deeds would be cancelled out. The author
of al-Jaami' al-Asghar said: If he gives a gift to another Muslim on
the day of Nayrooz, not intending thereby to venerate that day, but it
is the habit of some people to give gifts on that day, then this is
not regarded as kufr. But he should not do it on that particular day;
he should do it before or after, so that he will not be imitating
those people. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is one of them."It says
in al-Jaami' al-Asghar: A man bought something on the day of Nayrooz
which he did not buy before that. If he intended thereby to venerate
that day as the mushrikoon venerate it, then he has committed kufr,
but if he wanted toeat or drink or enjoy himself, then he has not
committed kufr. End quote.
It says in al-Taaj wa'l-Ikleel (a Maaliki book – 4/319): Ibn al-Qaasim
regarded it as makrooh to give a gift toa Christian on the occasion of
his festival, or to give palm leaves to a Jew on his festivals. End
quote.
It says in al-Iqnaa', which is a Hanbali book: It is haraam to attend
the festivals of the Jews and Christians and to sellthem things or
give them gifts on the occasion of their festivals.
Moreover it is not permissible for a Muslim to give a gift to another
Muslim because of this festival, as stated above when quoting the
Hanafi view. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: Whoever gives a gift to the Muslims during these festivals
unlike what he usually usually at other times, his gift should notbe
accepted, especially ifthe gift is something that helps in imitating
them, such as giving candles etc at Christmas, or giving eggs, milk
and lambs on Maundy Thursday which comes at the end of their fast
(i.e., the end of Lent). Similarly, no gift should be given to a
Muslim at the time of these festivals because of the festival,
especially if it is something that helps in imitating them, as we have
mentioned. End quote from Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem (1/227).
Thirdly:
With regard to acceptinga gift from a kaafir on the day of his
festival, there is nothing wrong with that, and that is notregarded as
participating in it or approving of it, rather it should be accepted
as anact of kindness, with the aim of softening his heart and calling
him to Islam. Allaah has permitted kindness and fair treatment towards
the kaafir who is not fighting the Muslims, as He says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"Allaah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who
fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of
your homes. Verily, Allaah loves those who deal with equity"
[al-Mumtahanah 60:8]
But kindness and fair treatment does not mean friendship and love,
because it is not permitted to take a kaafir as a friend or love him.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"You (O Muhammad) willnot find any people whobelieve in Allaah and
theLast Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allaah and His
Messenger (Muhammad), even though they were their fathers or their
sons or their brothers or their kindred (people). For such He has
written Faithin their hearts, and strengthened them with Rooh (proofs,
light and true guidance) from Himself. And He will admit them to
Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow, to dwell therein
(forever). Allaah is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are
the party of Allaah. Verily, it is the party of Allaah that will be
the successful"
[al-Mujaadilah 58:22]
"O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e.
disbelievers and polytheists) as friends, showing affection towards
them, while they have disbelieved in what has come to you ofthe truth"
[al-Mumtahanah 60:1]
"O you who believe! Take not as (your) Bitaanah (advisors,
consultants, protectors, helpers, friends) those outside your religion
(pagans, Jews, Christians,and hypocrites) since they will not fail to
do their best to corrupt you.They desire to harm you severely. Hatred
has already appeared from their mouths, but what their breasts conceal
is far worse. Indeed We have made plain to you the Ayaat (proofs,
evidences, verses) if you understand"
[Aal 'Imraan 3:118]
"And incline not toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire should
touchyou, and you have no protectors other than Allaah, nor you would
then be helped"
[Hood 12:113]
"O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as
Awliyaa'(friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Awliyaa' of each
other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa'),then surely, he
is one of them. Verily, Allaah guides not those people who are the
Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust)"
[al-Maa'idah 5:51]
and there is other evidence which indicates that it is haraam to take
a kaafir as a friend or love him.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:As
for accepting a gift from them on the day of their festival, we have
quoted above that 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib was brought a gift on the
occasion of Nayrooz and he accepted it.
Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated that a woman asked 'Aa'ishah: We havesome wet
nurses from among the Magians, andthey have a festival on which they
bring us gifts. She said: As for what is slaughtered for that day, do
not eat it, but eat from their vegetables.
It was narrated from AbuBarzah that he had someMagian neighbours who
used to bring him gifts on the occasion of Nayrooz and Mahrjaan, and
he used to say to hisfamily: Whatever is of fruits, eat it, and
whatever is otherwise, reject it.
All of this indicates that the festival does not make it forbidden to
accept their gifts, rather the ruling is the same whether it is their
festival or not, because that does not involve helping them with the
symbols of their kufr.
Then he pointed out thatmeat slaughtered by a kitaabi (Jew or
Christian)is halaal except that which is slaughtered for their
festivals, which it isnot permissible to eat. He said (may Allaah
havemercy on him): It is only permissible to eat of the food of the
people of the Book, during their festivals that which has not been
slaughtered forthe festival, whether it isbought or received as a
gift. As for meat slaughtered by the Magians, the ruling on that is
well known, and it is haraam according toall. As for that which is
slaughtered by the people of the Book for their festivals and that
which they slaughter as an act of worship to draw close to anything
other than Allaah, as the Muslims offer sacrifices as an act of
worship to draw closer to Allaah, namely as that which they sacrifice
to the Messiah, two views have been narrated from Ahmad concerning
that, the most well known of which in his texts is that it is not
permissible to eat it even if the name of something other than Allaah
has not been mentioned over it. The prohibition on that was narrated
from 'Aa'ishah and 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umar … End quote from Iqtida'
al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem (1/251).
Conclusion: It is permissible for you to accept the gift from
yourChristian neighbour on the day of their festival, subject to the
following conditions:
1 – This gift should not be meat that has been slaughtered for the festival.
2 – It should not be something that may be used to help in
imitatingthem on the day of their festival, such as candles, eggs,
palm leaves etc.
3 – You should explain toyour children the belief in al-wala'
wa'l-bara' (loyalty and friendship vs. disavowal and enmity), lest a
love of this festival or a fondness for the giver be instilled in
their hearts.
4 – The gift should be accepted with the aim ofsoftening her heart and
calling her to Islam, not with friendship and love.
If the gift is something that it is not permissible to accept, then
the refusal to accept it should be accompanied by an explanation of
why it is being refused, such as saying, "We only refused your gift
because it is meat that was slaughtered for the festival, and it is
not permissible for us to eat it, or these things are only accepted by
those who are taking part in the celebrations, and wedo not celebrate
this festival, because it is not part of our religion, and it involves
beliefs that we do not believe in" and so on, which is a starting
point for calling them to Islam and explaining the danger ofthe kufr
that they follow.
The Muslim should be proud of his religion andapply its rulings, and
he should not give them up out of shyness or to impress anyone, for
Allaah is more deserving of us feeling shy before Him.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Islamic Stories - , The mother's hand

My mother was visiting, she asked me to go shopping with her because
she needed a new dress. I don't normally like to go shopping and I'm
not a patient person, but we set off for the mall together. We visited
nearly every store that carried ladies' dresses, and my mother tried
on dress after dress, rejecting them all. As theday wore on, I grew
weary.
Finally, at our last stop, my mother tried on a lovely blue
three-piece dress. The blouse had a bow at the neckline, andas I stood
in the dressingroom with her, I watched as she tried, with much
difficulty, to tie the bow. Her hands were so badly crippled from
arthritis that she couldn't do it. Immediately, my impatience gave way
to an overwhelming wave of compassion for her. I turned away to try
and hide the tears that welled up involuntarily. Regaining my
composure, I turned back to tie the bow for her.
Our shopping trip was over, but the event was etched indelibly in my
memory. For the rest of the day, my mind kept returning to that moment
in the dressing room and to the vision of my mother's hands trying to
tie that bow. Those loving hands that had fed me, bathed me, dressed
me, caressed and comforted me, and, most of all, prayed for me, were
now touching me in the most remarkable manner.
Later in the evening, I went to my mother's room, took her hands in
mine, kissed them and, much to her surprise, told her that to me they
were the most beautiful hands in the world.
I can only pray that someday my hands, and my heart, will have earned
such a beauty of their own.

Islamic Stories - , Kindness surely pays back

One day, a poor boy whowas selling goods from door to door to pay his
way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was
hungry.
He decided he would askfor a meal at the next house. However, he lost
his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal
he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought
him alarge glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and thenasked, "How much
do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything," she replied."Mother has taught us never
to accept pay for akindness." He said....."Then I thank you from my
heart."
Year's later that young woman became criticallyill. The local doctors
were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called
in a specialist to study her rare disease. After a long struggle,
thebattle was won. Finally business office pass the final bill to
specialist for approval. He looked at it,then wrote something on the
edge and the bill was sent back.
When she got the bill, she feared to open it, forshe was sure it would
take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and
something caught her attention on the side of the bill.
She read these words....."Paid in full with one glass of milk"
(Signed) Dr. Hasan Amin.
Tears of joy flooded her eyes.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Dua - ,

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ‏‎ -
-To soothe ill children:
-
Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
To soothe ill children
أُعِيذُكَ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ
وَهَامَّةٍ وَمِنْكُلِّ عَيْنٍ لَامَّةٍ
To soothe children during illness or at any harm recite:
"I seek refuge in Allah with His total words fromthe evil Satan, from
everypoisonous animal and from the evil eye". (Bukhari)
If any member of ProphetMohammad (SAW.)'s household fell ill, he
usedto recite the the four Qulsand blow on them.
******************************************Dua by an ill person
-
Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
Dua by an ill person
Prophet Mohammad (SAW.) said that if an ill person recites the
following dua forty timesand dies in that illness, he will be rewarded
as a martyr and if he regains his health, all his sins will be
forgiven:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
"There is none worthy of worship besides You O Allah, You are pure, I
have oppressed my soul".
(Mustadrak)
In another hadith Prophet Mohammad (SAW.) said that if a person
recites the following dua during his illness and dies, then the fire
of Jahannam is forbidden for him.
(Hisnul Hasin from Trimidhi etc)
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ
وَحْدَهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَا
إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ لَا إِلَهَ
إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
"There in none worthy ofworship besides Allah, Heis the greatest.
There is none worthy of worship besides Allah, He is all by Himself.
There is none worthy of worship besides Allah. Hehas no partner with
Him. His is the Kingdom and allPraise. He is the one to grant us the
ability to save ourselves from sinning and to do
good".******************************************When death is eminent
-Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
When death is eminent
Recite:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالرَّفِيقِ الْأَعْلَى
"O Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me and letme reach the
Companion on high".
(Hisnul Hasin)