Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
I have non-Muslim family members who buy gifts for my family during the Christmas season. I feel shy to ask them not to buy the gifts, because other Muslim family members accept them also I don’t want to be impolite. Still I don’t want to be involved in something that will displease Allah. Should I take the gifts to goodwill stores, should I refuse them, if they give money meant for my daughter is it ok if I give it away? How can I resolve this problem?
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
There is nothing wrong with accepting the gifts: these are not per se religious acts, but social customs.
It is permitted to give gifts during the Winter Break with the intention of strengthening family ties, though one should try one’s best to do so in a dignified but distinct manner, in order to avoid falling into the semblance imitation’.
Wassalam,