Is it permissible to accept gifts from non-believers who are in a state of war (Ahl al-Harb)?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Jihad
Primary text
It is permissible to accept gifts from non-believers who are in a state of war. The evidence for this is that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, accepted the gift of the Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt. If this acceptance occurred during a state of conflict, some scholars rule that if the gift is given to the commander of the army or one of his officers, it constitutes spoils of war (ghanima), because the offering is motivated by fear of the Muslims. Conversely, the apparent meaning suggests that what is gifted to individuals among the general populace belongs to them.
Supporting text
The view of Al-Qadi suggests that such a gift is spoils of war even if given from the territory of war to the territory of Islam, asserting that it belongs to the recipient, whether the Imam or someone else, based on the precedent of the Prophet accepting the gift for himself and not for others.