Ruling on Giving Flowers as a Gift in Islam

Source Attribution

This excerpt is taken from the book “Aḥkām o Masā’il in the Light of the Qur’an and Sunnah” by Shaykh Mubashir Aḥmad Rabbānī.

Question

What is the ruling on presenting flowers as a gift to someone?

Answer

Giving gifts to one another is a good practice, and it increases mutual love. The Sharīʿah has encouraged giving gifts.

It is narrated from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

تَهَادَوْا تَحَابُّوا
“Give gifts to one another, and you will love one another.”

Reference: Al-Adab al-Mufrad by al-Bukhārī: 594


Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله stated that its chain is ḥasan.
Reference: Al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr: 2/75


Likewise, in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and other collections, there is a ḥadīth in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Let no woman consider any gift insignificant for her neighbor, even if it is the hoof of a sheep.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Hibah wa Faḍlihā wa al-Taḥrīḍ ʿAlayhā, Bāb Faḍl al-Hibah: 2566


From the above authentic aḥādīth, it is evident that giving and receiving gifts fosters love.

Therefore, whether it is a bouquet of flowers or any ḥalāl food or drink, there is no harm in presenting such gifts. Nor does this constitute imitation of the Jews.

Imitation refers to adopting the distinctive religious symbols or specific customs of a particular people that are not permitted in Islam.
 
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