Question:

I'm working in a gift and souvenir shop. In Christmas season we sell x-mas gifts toys and decorations. Is it permissible in Islam?

Fatwa:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is not permissible to sell gifts for Christmas as this is helping in and propagating falsehood. Allah says (what means): {Help you one another in virtue, righteousness and piety but do not help one another in sin and transgression} [Qur'an 5:2]. The matter is even more forbidden and abominable if these gifts contain a wrong belief, like the cross, the picture of a man on the cross and the like, as these are among the gifts that the Christians exchange.

If the shop does not sell anything except these kinds of gifts, then it is not permissible to work in this shop. However, if the shop sells goods other than these gifts, then there is no harm in working there on the condition that you do not deal directly with these gifts that are sold or used pertaining to Christmas or other false celebrations.

 With regard to selling toys even if they represent animated things, there is no harm in it provided that these dolls are destined for children to play with. However, if one knows that the buyer is going to use these toys as an adornment and not for children to play with, then it is not permissible to sell them, as in this case, the ruling of making portraits applies to them. The Prophet said: "Angels do not enter a house where there is an image or a dog." [Abu Daawood]

The Islamic legislation exempted children's toys because the children need these toys to play with, so this exemption should not go beyond this to other things.

Allah Knows best.

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb