Q: A person had his birthday on a weekend holiday this year. His family members were calling him to come to their house to celebrate his birthday.
However, since he knows that it is a form of imitating the disbelievers so he rejected their offer by giving an excuse. But the family members were persistently persuading him to come, and finally they suggested that he could at least come take his dinner and go. To this he agreed and went there. After going there he found out that they had arranged for a cake so that he could cut it. But he became angry and managed to avoid cutting the cake. He also avoided intermingling with his cousin sisters and other non-mahram women. Now my question is: He received some money as gift in that same day from his different family members. Is it halal for him to use the money? If it is not halal for him to use the money, then please kindly inform what he can do with the money.
A:
Although it is not haraam for him to use the money, keeping in mind that it was given to him in celebration of his birthday which is not an Islamic teaching, it is best that he avoid using the money and rather give it out in charity. Notwithstanding the above, as mentioned earlier, it is not haraam for him to use the money.