Gift-giving (hadiya) is a beloved sunnah in Islam: the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said “Give gifts and you will love one another,” reported by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad . Accepting and returning a gift is encouraged. Muslims may give and receive gifts from non-Muslims, including at Christmas, as long as the gift itself is permissible.
What “Hadiya” Means — Gift, Charity, and Obligation Are Not the Same
A hadiya is a gift given freely out of love and goodwill, expecting nothing in return. It differs from sadaqah (voluntary charity to those in need) and zakat (obligatory annual alms, a Pillar of Islam): you give a hadiya to honour a relationship, not to discharge a duty. Giving one is a recommended sunnah, never compulsory.
In Arabic, a gift is a hadiya (also written hadiyyah) — something handed from one person to another freely, out of affection and goodwill, with nothing expected back. It is a gesture between people: a way of saying I value you. And in Islam that gesture is not just socially nice — it is a recommended act of worship, a sunnah, though never an obligation.
Much “gifts in Islam” writing blurs three different things into one warm word. They are not the same, and keeping them apart is the foundation everything else on this page rests on:
Hadiya — a freely-given gift, motivated by affection. It is recommended (a sunnah), never compulsory, and is owed to no one in particular.
Sadaqah — voluntary charity given to those in need, seeking Allah’s reward. The motive is relief of hardship, not the honouring of a relationship.
Zakat — the obligatory annual alms, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, owed by the eligible to specific categories of recipients. It is a duty, calculated and due, not a free gesture.
The load-bearing line is this: you give a hadiya to honour a relationship; you give sadaqah and zakat to fulfil a duty to Allah and the needy. They overlap in spirit — all three are good, all three draw you closer to God — but they do not overlap in ruling. A hadiya you may give or not give; zakat you must give. That clean three-way split is the precision the rest of this page builds on: the sunnah and its reward, the etiquette of giving and receiving, and the question of gifts to and from non-Muslims.
Is Giving Gifts a Sunnah? The Hadith and What It Promises
Yes — giving gifts is a beloved sunnah. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said “Give gifts and you will love one another” (Tahaadaw tahaabbu), reported by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad #594, narrated by Abu Hurayra, graded hasan. The promised reward is mutual love (mahabbah): a gift softens hearts and deepens bonds.
Giving gifts is, plainly, a beloved sunnah — a practice the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) both taught and lived. The central proof is one short, much-loved hadith:
The hadith
تَهَادَوْا تَحَابُّوا
Notice the five-part precision that makes this a citable proof rather than a floating quotation: the transliteration (Tahaadaw tahaabbu), the collection (al-Adab al-Mufrad), the number (#594), the narrator (Abu Hurayra), and the grade (hasan). One careful note for accuracy: scholars cite this hadith from al-Bukhari’s al-Adab al-Mufrad — his separate collection on manners and character — which is why you will not find it in the main Sahih al-Bukhari. Attributing it to the Sahih is a common slip; the correct source is al-Adab al-Mufrad.
And the reward? The hadith ties gift-giving directly to mutual love (mahabbah). A gift is a tool for repairing and deepening a bond: it dissolves resentment, warms a cooled friendship, and spreads goodwill where there was distance. The reward is at once relational and spiritual — doing good (ihsan) to another person is itself something Allah rewards, and the gift is the doing-good made tangible. There is also a practice signal worth keeping: the Prophet (peace be upon him) not only urged giving, he accepted gifts graciously and gave back in turn. So following his example is two-sided — to give, and to receive warmly.
The Etiquette of Giving and Receiving (Adab al-Hadiya)
The etiquette of gift-giving in Islam (adab al-hadiya) is to give with sincere intention (niyyah), not to show off or obligate; to accept a gift graciously even when it is modest; to give something back where you can, though it is not required; and never to take back what you have given. Within a family, treat children fairly when gifting.
Beyond the ruling lies the adab — the manners that make a gift truly a hadiya. These are simple, and each one rests on prophetic guidance:
Give with sincerity, not to show off or to obligate. The intention (niyyah) behind a hadiya is love, not leverage. A gift given to manipulate, to buy favour, or to make a show, loses its meaning even if the object is fine.
Accept a gift graciously, even a modest one. Turning down a sincere gift without good reason can wound the giver; the Sunnah is to receive it warmly, whatever its size.
It is good to give something back. Reciprocating is encouraged — the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to accept gifts and reward the giver — yet there is no obligation to return one. The gesture is generous precisely because it is free.
Don’t take back what you gave. Reclaiming a gift after giving it is strongly discouraged; a well-known prophetic teaching likens it to a dog returning to its vomit — a deliberately stark image meant to fix how unbecoming it is. Once given, let it go.
Choose thoughtfully over expensively. Value lives in the thought, not the price tag. Even small gifts carry the sunnah — the Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged a woman not to scorn giving her neighbour even a sheep’s trotter.
Family is included — and treat children fairly. Gifts within the family build the very same love. The guidance, grounded in the narration of al-Nu’man ibn Bashir, is to be equitable between your children when you give, rather than favouring one over another.
If you are looking specifically for the Ramadan version of these manners — who gives to whom, and the place of Eidi in the season — read do Muslims give gifts during Ramadan? for that case in full.
Can Muslims Give and Accept Gifts From Non-Muslims?
Yes — a Muslim may both give to and accept gifts from a non-Muslim. The Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted gifts from non-Muslims, a practice documented in the major hadith collections. The single condition is that the gift itself is permissible: an ordinary gift like sweets, flowers, a book, or jewelry is completely fine.
The answer is plain: yes — a Muslim may both give to and accept gifts from a non-Muslim. This is not a grudging concession; it is grounded in the example of the Prophet himself.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted gifts from non-Muslims — a practice documented in the major hadith collections, including gifts sent to him by rulers and neighbours. Receiving a kind gesture across faith lines was part of how he engaged with the world around him.
There is one condition, and it is about the gift, not the giver: the gift itself must be permissible. A Muslim would not accept — to consume or use — something impermissible, such as alcohol, pork, or an item made specifically for the worship of other than Allah. But an ordinary, permissible gift — sweets, flowers, a book, jewelry, a useful object — is completely fine. The permissibility test attaches to the item, never to the relationship.
So if you are a non-Muslim choosing a gift for a Muslim friend, you do not need to overthink it: thoughtful and permissible is the whole bar. And once you know the ruling, the natural next question is the practical one — so what should I actually buy? For that, see what’s an appropriate gift for a Muslim friend, which walks through the recipient side in detail.
Can Muslims Accept Christmas Gifts? (and Celebrating Christmas)
Accepting a Christmas gift from a non-Muslim friend, neighbour, or colleague is generally permissible — receiving it graciously is good character, not a celebration of the holiday’s religious meaning, provided the gift itself is permissible. Celebrating Christmas as a religious festival is a separate question on which scholars differ; Muslims have their own two festivals, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
This question trips people up because two different things get folded together. They are separate, and answering them separately is the whole point:
Accepting a Christmas gift from a non-Muslim friend, neighbour, or colleague is generally permissible. Receiving it graciously is good character and good neighbourliness — not participation in a religious celebration. The same rule from the previous section applies: the item must be permissible.
Celebrating Christmas as a religious festival is a different matter altogether. Christmas is a Christian religious holiday, and Muslims have their own two festivals — Eid al-Fitr (at the end of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (during the days of Hajj). Mainstream scholarship distinguishes between accepting a kind gesture and participating in another faith’s religious observance. Where scholars nuance the details of the second, that nuance is real — and this page flags it rather than adjudicating it. For a detailed ruling, ask a qualified scholar.
The practical upshot for the non-Muslim colleague: you can absolutely give your Muslim friend a Christmas-season gift. Keep the gift itself ordinary and permissible, and it will be received as the kindness you intend.
Meaningful Gifts That Live the Sunnah (Where to Go Next)
The best gifts to live the sunnah are ones the recipient will use in worship — a tasbih or a Zikr Ring (a smart ring that counts dhikr on the finger) turns the act of giving into a daily act of remembrance. To choose for a specific person, see what’s an appropriate gift for a Muslim friend; for the Ramadan-specific case, see do Muslims give gifts during Ramadan?
Now that the ruling is clear — giving is a sunnah, the reward is love, the etiquette is sincerity — the most fitting gifts are the ones the recipient will actually use in worship. A piece like the Zikr Ring (a smart ring that counts dhikr on the finger) or a tasbih turns the sunnah of giving into a daily act of remembrance: every time it is used, the gift keeps giving. These are named here as examples of “gifts that live the sunnah,” not as a shopping list.
From here, route by your situation:
Shopping for a specific Muslim person, and not sure what’s appropriate → what’s an appropriate gift for a Muslim friend.
Want the Ramadan-specific etiquette → do Muslims give gifts during Ramadan?
Browsing the whole category by occasion and recipient → back up to the Islamic gifts.
Or, if you would rather just look: see the Zikr Ring, or browse see all our gifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about gift-giving in Islam: a gift (hadiya) is given freely out of love, distinct from charity (sadaqah) and obligatory alms (zakat); giving is a sunnah grounded in the hadith “Give gifts and you will love one another”; and a Muslim may give to and accept gifts from non-Muslims — including at Christmas — as long as the gift itself is permissible.
What is the meaning of a gift in Islam?
A gift in Islam (hadiya) is something given freely out of love and goodwill, expecting nothing in return. It is distinct from sadaqah (voluntary charity) and zakat (obligatory alms): you give hadiya to honour a relationship, not to fulfil a duty. Giving one is a recommended sunnah, not an obligation.
Is giving gifts a sunnah?
Yes. Giving gifts is a beloved sunnah. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Give gifts and you will love one another,” reported by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (#594, narrated by Abu Hurayra). Both giving and graciously accepting gifts follow his example.
What are the rewards of giving a gift in Islam?
The reward of giving a gift in Islam is relational and spiritual: a gift builds mutual love between people, softens hearts, and clears away resentment, as the hadith “Give gifts and you will love one another” promises. Doing good to others is an act of ihsan that Allah rewards, and even a small, thoughtful gift carries the sunnah.
What is the etiquette of giving gifts in Islam?
The etiquette of giving gifts in Islam is to give with sincerity and not to show off; to accept a gift graciously even if it is modest; to give something back where you can, though it is not required; and never to take back what you have given. Within a family, the guidance is to treat children fairly and equitably when gifting.
Can a Muslim accept a gift from a non-Muslim?
Yes. The Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted gifts from non-Muslims — a practice recorded in the major hadith collections — and a Muslim may both give to and receive from them. The only condition is that the gift itself is permissible; an ordinary gift like sweets, flowers, a book, or jewelry is completely fine.
Can Muslims accept Christmas gifts?
Generally, yes — a distinction recognised by mainstream scholarship. Accepting a Christmas gift from a non-Muslim friend or colleague is an act of kindness and good neighbourliness, not a celebration of the holiday’s religious meaning, as long as the gift itself is permissible. Accepting a kind gesture is treated differently from religiously celebrating the festival.
Is it OK for a Muslim to give a non-Muslim a gift?
Yes. Giving a gift to a non-Muslim friend, neighbour, or colleague is good character and a way of building goodwill, which Islam encourages. Choose a thoughtful, permissible gift, and the gesture is welcome.
Do you have to give a gift back if you receive one?
No. Returning a gift is encouraged and was the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him), but it is not an obligation. The heart of hadiya is love, not a transaction — so a gift carries no debt.
Sources
al-Bukhari, al-Adab al-Mufrad 594 — the hadith “Give gifts and you will love one another” (Tahaadaw tahaabbu), narrated by Abu Hurayra, graded hasan. Cited from al-Bukhari’s al-Adab al-Mufrad, not the main Sahih.
IslamQA — for the position that accepting a kind gesture (including a gift from a non-Muslim, or at Christmas) is treated differently from religiously celebrating the festival. Where scholars differ on the details, the difference is flagged here, not adjudicated.
The narrations on the Prophet (peace be upon him) accepting and recompensing gifts, on not reclaiming a gift given, and on treating children equitably (al-Nu’man ibn Bashir) appear in the major collections, including al-Bukhari and Muslim, via sunnah.com.
Published 5 June 2026 · Last updated 5 June 2026. Religious notes are offered for guidance — for detailed rulings, consult a qualified scholar.