It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Sayyida Umm Sunbala (may Allah be pleased with her) brought a gift of milk for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but did not find him at home. Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said to her: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has forbidden us from eating the food of the Bedouins. Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was with him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Umm Sunbala! What is this with you? She said: O Messenger of Allah! It is milk; I have brought it as a gift for you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Umm Sunbala! Pour it into a bowl. She poured it into a bowl. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Hand it to Abu Bakr. She did so. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Umm Sunbala! Pour more. She poured more and handed it to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he drank it. When Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) saw that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was drinking the milk and how much it was cooling his heart, she said: O Messenger of Allah! I was told that you had forbidden the food of the Bedouins? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Aisha! These people are not Bedouins; they are from the outer areas adjacent to our city, and we are from their city. When they are called (for the affairs of the Messenger of Allah and the Muslims), they respond. They are not Bedouins.

It is narrated from Sayyida Juwayriya bint Harith (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me one day and said: Is there any food? I said: No, there is nothing, except for that (meaty) bone which was given in charity to our slave-girl. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bring it, bring it near to me, charity has reached its place.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to accept gifts and would also give something in return.

It is narrated from Sayyida Rabi’ bint Mu’awwiz (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: I presented a platter of dates and small cucumbers to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave me two handfuls of jewelry or gold and said: Adorn yourself with this. In another narration, it is stated: Wear it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that a Bedouin gave a gift to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him something in return and said: "Are you pleased?" He said: "No." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him more and then asked: "Are you pleased now?" He said: "No." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave him something further and said: "Are you pleased now?" He said: "Yes." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, I have intended not to accept a gift except from a Qurayshi, or an Ansari, or a Thaqafi."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the king of Dhu Yazan presented to the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, a garment as a gift, which he had acquired in exchange for thirty-three (33) camels (or she-camels).

It is narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the king of Rome sent the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a long-sleeved cloak made of fine silk as a gift, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wore it. It is as if I am still looking at its sleeves, which were moving because of their length. The people said: O Messenger of Allah! Was this garment sent down to you from the heavens? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Why are you so astonished? By the One in Whose hand is my soul! The handkerchief of Sa’d bin Mu’adh (may Allah be pleased with him) in Paradise is better than this. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent it to our master Ja’far (may Allah be pleased with him). When he wore it, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I did not give it to you to wear. He said: Then what should I do with it? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Send it to your brother Najashi.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that Kisra sent a gift to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted it. Caesar gave him (peace and blessings be upon him) a present, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted it. Other kings also gave him (peace and blessings be upon him) gifts, which he (peace and blessings be upon him) accepted.

Abdullah bin Zubair (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: Qateelah bint Abdul Uzza brought gifts of dried lizard, cheese, and ghee to her daughter, Sayyida Asma bint Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both), while she was a polytheist woman. So Sayyida Asma (may Allah be pleased with her) refused to accept her gifts and to let her enter her house. When Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) about this, Allah the Exalted revealed this verse: {لَا یَنْہَاکُمُ اللّٰہُ عَنِ الَّذِیْنَ لَمْ یُقَاتِلُوْکُمْ فِی الدِّیْنِ وَلَمْ یُخْرِجُوْکُمْ مِّنْ دِیَارِکُمْ اَنْ تَبَرُّوْھُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوْآ اِلَیْھِمْ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِیْنَ۔} … Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes—from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. (Surah Al-Mumtahanah: 8) Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Sayyida Asma to accept her mother’s gifts and to let her enter her house.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna ‘Iraq bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Hakim bin Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) said: In the era of ignorance, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most beloved of all people to me. But when he (peace and blessings be upon him) claimed prophethood and migrated to Madinah Munawwarah, Hakim bin Hizam (may Allah be pleased with him) participated in Hajj, but he was still a disbeliever at that time. He saw that a robe of Dhi Yazan was being sold, so Hakim bought it with the intention of presenting it as a gift to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Thus, he brought it to Madinah Munawwarah, intending to present it as a gift to him (peace and blessings be upon him), but he (peace and blessings be upon him) refused to accept it. The narrator, ‘Ubaydullah, says: I think that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: We do not accept gifts from polytheists, but if you wish, we can buy it from you for its price. So, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) refused to accept it as a gift, I gave it for its price.