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Presenting and using incesnse

Question

Dear sirs,I would very much appreciate your esteemed advice on thesubject of a gift.I intend to present some Arab guests with gifts of incense.Do you think that they would be upset or offended if theyknew that the incense had been handled by a woman? Wouldthe incense still be fit for burning during prayer?Thank you kindly for any clear advice and guidance you canoffer.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

Presenting incense to Arab friend or non-Arab friends is a recommendable act regardless of whether it is made by a man or a woman. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "Give presents to each other and this makes you love each other" [ Imam Malik, al-Albani graded it Sahih].
A presenter should give the present to a Muslim with the intention of increasing love and affection and to a Kafir to make him nearer to Islam. The incense made by a woman is absolutely permissible so, one should not reject it for this reason. It is also permissible, even desirable, to burn it in mosques and while performing prayers. There was a person in the era of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) whose name was N'aeem al Mujmir who used to perfume his mosque with incense.
Allah knows best.

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