Fatwas / Miscellaneous / From the Prohibited Types of Gifts
Question
We are a group of girls who agreed to exchange gifts on Eid; the value of each gift should be in the range of 200-300 riyal. The exchange of gifts will be random; meaning no one of us will know what gift will receive. Is this permissible? من صور الهدايا المحرمة
Answer
All praise is due to Allah alone, and may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and his companions. To answer your question, we say while seeking the success from Allah: This method is considered a form of gambling that Allah, the Most High, has prohibited in the ayah (interpretation of the meaning): {O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.} [Quran 5:90] The reason that this is considered as such is because each one of you will spend a specific amount of money – that is the cost of the gift, without knowing the gift she will get in return. That means, the value of the gift you will receive compared to the gift you will give way would be either equal, and this would be a fair and square transaction, or less and that would mean losing money, or higher and that would make you some profit. Further to the point, it is possible that one of the girls may dislike the gift she will receive regardless of its value, or that the giver of the gift dislikes that her gift was taken by the one who received it randomly and would have preferred it was given to someone else, if she had the choice. This shows you that the purpose of gifts, which is to create love and affability, is not achieved in this method. In fact, the proposed method may backfire and cause enmity and disputes. That being said, it appears to me that this method is forbidden. And Allah knows best. Your brother, Khalid al-Mosleh 19/09/1435
All praise is due to Allah alone, and may the Salah and Salam of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and his companions. To answer your question, we say while seeking the success from Allah: This method is considered a form of gambling that Allah, the Most High, has prohibited in the ayah (interpretation of the meaning): {O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.} [Quran 5:90] The reason that this is considered as such is because each one of you will spend a specific amount of money – that is the cost of the gift, without knowing the gift she will get in return. That means, the value of the gift you will receive compared to the gift you will give way would be either equal, and this would be a fair and square transaction, or less and that would mean losing money, or higher and that would make you some profit. Further to the point, it is possible that one of the girls may dislike the gift she will receive regardless of its value, or that the giver of the gift dislikes that her gift was taken by the one who received it randomly and would have preferred it was given to someone else, if she had the choice. This shows you that the purpose of gifts, which is to create love and affability, is not achieved in this method. In fact, the proposed method may backfire and cause enmity and disputes. That being said, it appears to me that this method is forbidden. And Allah knows best. Your brother, Khalid al-Mosleh 19/09/1435
