Gifts

Taking back gifts after a divorce

Q: My husband has issued me with 2 talaaqs. I am currently at my parents house in iddat, as we have not reconciled. My husband is demanding that I return all the gold to him (some were given as mahr and this is documented on the marriage certificate, some was gifted to me by my husband during the duration of our marriage and some he has gifted to my daughter). I have paid zakaah on this gold over the years. Who is the rightful owner of the gold?

Push present

Q: I wanted to know about "push present" which is a gift from a husband to his wife for her giving birth of the child. It is usually called "push present" because the wife pushes the baby out. Is a push present allowed in Islam? The wife usually expects a gift from the husband because she has suffered nine months and labour as well. Is it ok for her to seek a gift from her husband?

Refusing to accept a gift

Q: All my needs are being fulfilled Alhamdulillah. My brother's wife used to pay me pocket money every month. I used to take it. Then I was suffering from many things of her. She hurt my mother and many more things. We all forgive her. I forgive her but now I don't want to take money from her. Am I refusing to accept the risk from Allah?

Is it necessary to return money that was given as a gift?

Q: Me and my older sister have had a big fall out recently. She then sent me a message through a family member that she wants back £1000 she gave me 13-15 years ago. I have absolutely no recollection of this. She doesn't believe I don't remember it. At that time I was at university and she claims she helped me out by giving me this money and I was supposed to return it. My question is why didn't she ever mention it to me before or tell another family member. She is claiming if I don't pay it back she will hold me responsible on day of judgement. Please where do I stand? If she can produce a copy of a cheque that old drawn out to me where do I stand?

Accepting a box of sweets from a non-Muslim

Q: I am in great trouble. My aunt has brought a box of sweets which some non Muslim has given us on the occasion of Diwali (non-Muslim festival). I did no know about it. So I have taken sweets from it and when I took one sweet from it my mind struck that this might have came on the occasion of Diwali and when I asked her, she told me yes this is on the occasion of Diwali. So I got confused how to get rid of it so I made a plan that I will take one bite of it to show other family members that I have eaten it and after spitting all the sweets which I had taken I felt that very little part of it went inside my throat which I was not able to remove. So my question is have I done kufr or shirk. Believe me, I didn't want to eat that sweet but since I have taken that sweet so I was afraid that if I reject this sweet in front of other family members, they start pinching me. I love Allah very much and also want to be free from shirk, bidat and haram things.