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Fatwa CenterRuling on accepting a gift while expecting it or hoping for it
Question
Thank you for answering this question; however, it seems that you did not answer the other part that I asked about. Here is the link: https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/2621384
I asked about the case in which a person is expecting or hoping for a gift to be given to him by someone without asking that person; is it haram to accept that gift? The holy Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, said, “Take whatever comes to you of this money while you are not keen to have it and not asking for it, but you should not yearn to have what you are not given.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim] Explain this to me please.
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 ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Hoping and yearning for a gift does not make it prohibited to accept it. Although Imaam Ahmad interpreted the Arabic word Ishraaf (used in the hadeeth, meaning: hoping for or aspiring to) to refer to an act of the heart, he did not hold that Ishraaf entails prohibition of accepting the gift. Rather, he held that Ishraaf cancels the obligation of accepting the gift. When someone is offered a gift and he has hoped for it, it is not obligatory on him to accept it, and it is also not prohibited for him to accept it. This is contrary to the case in which the person does not aspire to and hope for the gift; in this case, he is obliged to accept it.
Ibn ʻAbd Al-Barr cited the statement of Imaam Ahmad and declared it unlikely because unspoken inner-thoughts and self-talk are pardoned and the person is not held accountable for them. He interpreted the word Ishraaf used in the hadeeth as to mean keenly making oneself available to the giver too much (so that he would give him the gift) and not merely hoping for the gift.
At-Tamheed reads:
“It has been narrated ... that Abu ʻAbdullaah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, was asked about the meaning of Ishraaf used in the hadeeth that reads, 'Whatever Allaah gives you of this wealth without you asking for it or hoping for it, take it and keep it, or give it in charity, and whatever He does not give you, then do not hope for it or wish for it.' Imaam Ahmad replied, 'It means that the person keenly aspires to and hopes for receiving it and harbors such feelings within his heart.' He was then asked, 'Even if he does not make himself available for the giver too much so that he would offer him the gift?' He said, 'Yes! Hoping for it involves the heart.' It was remarked that this is rather stringent; he said, 'As stringent as it may seem, so be it!' He was told, 'What if it is from someone who does not normally offer me gifts, but I hoped for receiving a gift from him and said to myself, ‘I wish that so-and-so would offer me a gift'?’ Imaam Ahmad said, ‘This is the Ishraaf mentioned in the hadeeth! If someone offers you a gift and you have not yearned for it, then the element of Ishraaf is missing in this case.’ He was further asked, 'If it occurred to someone that he wishes for a certain person to offer him a gift and he did, is he obliged to refuse the gift?' He answered, 'I do not know what he is obliged to do; however, he has the right to refuse the gift.' It was remarked, 'But he is not obliged to refuse it, right?' He said, 'No, he is not obliged to refuse it.' He, then, added, ‘The point is that when a gift is offered to someone without yearning for it, he has to abide by the command of the Prophet, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, in the hadeeth in reference and accept it. However, if he has yearned for it, he is entitled to refuse the gift and is not obliged to accept it. He is allowed to accept it as well. But if he has asked for the gift, then it is impermissible for him to accept it; asking for the gift entails deeming it unlawful for him to accept it when offered to him.’
Abu 'Umar (Ibn ʻAbd Al-Barr) said: 'The Arabic word Ishraaf used in the hadeeth linguistically means raising one's head towards the giver of what he aspires to, smiling at him, and keenly making oneself available for him. What Ahmad ibn Hanbal 
said regarding the interpretation of Ishraaf is rather stringent in my view. I believe it is far from being the correct interpretation of the hadeeth because Allaah, The Exalted, has pardoned the Muslim nation what comes to their minds so long as they do not act upon it or pronounce words to that effect. Whatever is harbored within one's heart is pardoned as long as the person does not translate it into actions or words, except for disbelief. There is unanimous agreement on the fact that one is not to be held accountable for the unspoken inner thoughts that come to his mind (as long as they have not been verbalized or put into action); all praise be to Allaah.'”
Allaah knows best.
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