Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
After helping at an Islamic event, one of the organisers gave me a bottle of Christian Dior perfume as a thank you gift. I find it quite absurd that anyone would give perfume to a Muslim woman. My question is, what should I do with it?
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
It is in itself permitted to use mainstream perfumes, even if they contain alcohol, because the fatwa position is that synthetic alcohol is not filthy (najis). As such, it is permitted to accept it as a gift, even for women, because they can use the perfume at home and the like.
It may be best to avoid using such perfumes, however, because of everything negative that the fashion and cosmetics industries represent, and also to avoid the genuine difference of opinion of those who regard synthetic alcohol to be filthy.
One option would be to accept the gift, and then to give it away as a gift to someone suitable.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani