Permissible to accept gifts from non-Muslims if no harm is feared
24-12-2014 | IslamWeb
Question:
Salam Alikom, I am the sister from fatwa 264508. Inshallah Allah swt will bless you for answering my question and giving us guidance. We have since cut off all contact with my adoptive parents. Inshallah it will become easier on us however they continue to stalk, harass, threaten, and slander my husband telling anyone who will listen that he has drugged me and is keeping me a prisoner and that is why I will not have contact with them. Astefurallah. My biological Uncle who does not follow any particular religion is offering for us to move to where he and the rest of my biological family live so we can get away from my adopted parents. He is a very wealthy man and has been paying for my college tuition. He has offered to pay for my husband to go back to college as well as rent for an apartment and living expenses so we can focus on going to college. He makes no stipulation on what we can or can not study. I am studying to be a midwife alhamduallah. We having been praying if this is a good decision for us to do. Where we live now there is not a large Muslim community, the masjid is 1 hour drive away. In addition to living close to my adoptive parents. If we move we will leave behind many material things and will have to sell our large home. I feel as if what we will gain as far as living in a safer area, being around other Muslims, living near my biological family who are not racist, and gaining an eduction is much better. My biological Uncle is supportive of us being Muslim. When we visited him he and other family members they told us where the local masjid so we could go visit it and wouldn't order any pork products in their dinner or alcohol to be considerate of us. We did not ask to suggest they do this they just wanted us to feel comfortable. My husband alhamduallah is a pious man and wants to make sure accepting such a gift is permissible and if those of knowledge think us moving would be better for our family.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
narrated that when the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, feared somebody, he would supplicate: “Allaahumma inna naj‘aluka fi nuhoori-him wa na‘oothu bi-ka min shuroori-him (which means: O Allaah, we take You as a shield from them and take refuge in You from their evils).” [Ahmad and Abu Daawood]
You may threaten to report their harassment to the concerned authorities to deter them and ward off their evil and you may act upon your threat if the need arises.
Based on your account, it seems to us that it is better for you to move to the other place where your uncle is to be safe. Try to take all your possessions, and if you cannot take them all (and have to leave something behind), then you should know that it is not in vain. Whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will give him something better in return.
It is permissible to accept the gift of a non-Muslim as long as there is no concern that it will incur any harm such as being a source of trouble in one’s religion for example. In his Saheeh, Al-Bukhari 
included a chapter entitled “Accepting gifts from non-Muslims.” He cited the report on the authority of Anas that a Jewish woman brought the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, a poisoned sheep and he ate of it.
Allaah Knows best.