Why Attars Make Great Islamic Gifts
Ittars or Attars are natural fragrances obtained from the oils of various flowers, herbs, spices, and tree barks. They are prepared usually over a period ranging from 5-10 years and are the most concentrated form of perfumes available. Many of these fragrances are created by blending a number of extracts to obtain beautiful and pleasurable smells. These are alcohol free in their natural form, therefore are permissible to be used in Islam, so they make wonderful Islamic Gifts for many occasions. Also they are suitable for all skin types as there are no artificial ingredients added to them.
Attars were Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) most favorite worldly possession, and due to this fact, they are the Islamic gift of choice by many Muslims. Due to its non alcoholic properties, Muslims use them widely for all occasions. In the past, Ittars were not commonly available and could only be purchased from select retailers in certain countries. Today however, due to vast usage of attars by Muslims worldwide, they are now easily available in all Muslim as well as Non Muslim countries and are used for Islamic Gifts on Eid festivals and weddings.
When presenting someone with Islamic gifts, many people tend to choose Attar, as there is a wide range of fragrances available, allowing the gift giver the choice to select something that will suit the receiver. Muslim men in particular wear attars for prayers, as it is the Sunnah, and people receive thawaab for following the Prophet (P.B.U.H).
The most commonly used attars are: Rose attar and Jasmine attar. In addition, there are attars available of Lilac, Lavender, Sandalwood, Musk, Henna, Amber, Lily and Khas. As these pleasant scents are not alcohol based, they make very good Islamic gifts for all occasions. Many attar stores have also created mixtures of smells to match the western colognes and perfumes. So many Muslims prefer to receive these attar Islamic gifts instead of the regular colognes.
Saudi Arabia offers a wide range of beautifully packaged attars to all those who visit the house of Allah (SWT). Ranging from street vendors to brand name shops, you can find beautifully scented attars at all price ranges. Depending on your budget for purchasing sentimental and personalized Islamic gifts for your dear ones, you can even find engraved attar bottles at high end stores in the Middle East. As the trend is increasing, many people are importing these concentrated perfumes from France and Iran, to the UK and USA.
As it is a highly concentrated form, attars are very expensive; therefore, they are usually packaged in small sized crystal bottles called Itterdaans. At times, these containers cost more than the liquid it contains. Therefore many people choose specially designed pots with miniature droppers to present these thoughtful and nice smelling Islamic gifts. Therefore, when looking for a considerate present for someone, visit your closest Attar store.
