The Prophet ﷺ never refused perfume and whoever follows his Sunnah should not refuse perfume also. However, if there is a kind of perfume that is being given that will cause an allergic reaction, one should politely refuse if a person is going to give him some perfume without asking, and there is no sin upon him. This is because refusing the perfume in this instance will not affect the feelings of the person gifting the perfume, and it is this that is of concern when refusing perfume. Once he politely declines and says that it will affect his health and may even affect his breathing, the person giving the perfume will not be affected, in which case it is ok to do so, even though the underlying rule is that refusing perfume goes against what is more preferred, that is, to accept it is better.
Question
A Muslim should not refuse perfume. Sometimes though, people share perfume that I can’t handle the smell of, and it can even give me an allergic reaction. What is the ruling of refusing perfume in this instance?
Answer