According to the Sharee'ah, is it permitted for us to accept gifts (like calendars, or dairies, or watches, etc.), at the beginning of every year, from the Contractors who are working for our company (we award them contracts)? Please advice.

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 is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

There is no harm in accepting the mentioned gifts at the beginning of the New Year, but taking the New Year as a festival and celebrating it is an innovation, and it is imitating the non-Muslims if it is the new A.D. year, as it is the practise nowadays. However, given that these calendars and diaries are not associated with the meaning of the celebration, then they are not included in the prohibition; and they are considered in general as gifts given at a particular time to benefit from them for a particular reason related to that time.

Allaah Knows best.