ACCEPT PRESENTS

Supposing someone gives you a present out of his own halâl property; it will be an act of sunnat to accept that present, which is offered to you without your having asked for it. The hadîth-i-sherîf that reads: “Give presents to one another, and love one another!” is quoted in the book entitled Kunûz-ud-deqâiq. It is stated as follows in the thirty-seventh letter in the second volume of Maktûbât-i-Ma’thûmiyya, (which is a compilation of the letters written to various people by Muhammad Ma’thûm Fârûqî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaih’, 1007, Serhend – 1079 [1668 A.D.], in the same place, the third son of Hadrat Imâm Rabbânî ‘quddisa sirruhumâ’:) “Our blessed Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ sent a present to Hadrat ’Umar. The latter did not accept it. When the Best of Mankind asked him the reason for his sending the present back, he replied, ‘(At one occasion) you said that not to take anything from anyone has (more) khayr in it for a person.’ Thereupon the blessed Prophet stated: ‘I meant “asking for something and taking it” when I said so. Something given without having been asked for is (a piece of) rizq sent by Allâhu ta’âlâ. Take it!’ Then ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anh’ took an oath, saying, ‘I swear on (the Name of) Allâhu ta’âlâ that I shall never ask for anything from anybody and I shall always take something I am given without my asking for it!’ ” It is explained in detail in the twenty-eighth letter of Maqâmât-i-Mazhariyya.