Yasir Qadhi – Ask Shaykh YQ – Episode 26 – Can We Participate in A Competition With A Fee And A Prize

			Is it permissible to participate in competitions that have an entrance fee and a prize?
		

			If so, why is this not a form of gambling? on
		

			almost
		

			any gala region in Florida, he
		

			flew to LA.
		

			So there's a competition, and you have to pay $10 to participate and the winning prize is $1,000.
The brother is saying, Can I participate? Or you know, it's very common.
		

			A corporation has a fancy car for sale or not for sale for price. And they say $20 coupon $20 you
get the coupon. And we're going to pull that one, and whoever gets that will get the car. Okay, so
you're paying some money. And the goal is to get something more back now. Scenario B, the car,
everybody here knows this is what
		

			gambling? The question is about scenario a. And he is saying, why is not scenario a the same as
scenario B? That's the question. Is it Hello? If it is, why isn't this like gambling, you're paying
the $10 entrance fee, and we want to win first prize which is $500 $1,000 or an Omaha trip and it's
only a $10 fee, and the trip roadtrip is $2,000 Why isn't that a type of gambling? So very good
question. And I don't even think the the question realizes actually that how complicated this
question is, and I kid you not I have in my library, three specific monographs and PhDs written
about this dissertation is not an easy topic, entire books written about the difference physical
		

			rulings about participating in competitions is not a simple answer. You have as is to be expected a
whole spectrum of opinion. Everybody agrees that if you purchase a ticket that is valueless, in
order to gain something valuable, this is gambling. Everybody agrees This is HTML on this point. And
Allah says in the Quran surah my diverse 91 9091 Yeah, you're living in a more humble while may
settle while on sabol Islam Buddhism ama shift on oh you who believe alcohol and gambling are filled
from shavon and Allah says Allah once sorry Allah says shavon once to cause enmity between you two
via gambling and via alcohol that in Nima UD to shape on you and you Okay Are they in a coma? What
		

			will buffalo fill? How many will mace it will suit the Command V Kayla who is salah and unshaven
wants you to not worship Allah via gambling and via Humbert So will you not pay attention. And even
abus said, In the days of jelenia, a man would have a bet with another man with something of his
valuables or his property or even sometimes his family, and whoever won, they would hand the other,
you know, the item that they had bet or they had lost, right? whoever won would be handed over. So
this is something Allah forbade, and that is why unanimous consensus of all of them, allow him any
type of lottery system in which you pay money for something that has no value to gains to have the
		

			chance to gain something that has value. This is how long now? This is a lottery ticket. There are
after this the controversial areas. What if you don't buy anything? And it's an open competition?
Okay, open competition, you're not paying any money. And it's just an open competition for example.
You want to go grocery shopping, and
		

			the grocery shopping has whoever is the 1,000th person who comes in today will win $100
		

			card did you spend any money?
		

			No, you're just walking in and you just going shopping? In this case it is not lottery because
you're not spending any money. This is a gift that they're doing to advertise their business and
that gift they can do whatever gift they want. You're not spending any money. What if so, if you're
not spending money, it's not an issue. What if you spend money for an item but the item has a coupon
in it?
		

			For example,
		

			when we were children, I would love to buy cereals that have the HMM
		

			the coupons or the not the coupons would you call it
		

			Box Tops whatever right or
		

			sometimes the can right if you are like if you have a when I remember once the question was asked to
me in Canada was teaching a class and their famous brand Tim Hortons which by the way
		

			The record is not coffee. But that's besides if and all the Canadian people watching are going to be
boycotting me after this, but that's just colored water. That's not coffee. But anyway.
		

			I love Canadians, but Tim Hortons is not coffee. So, Tim Hortons, they had the very big deal going
on. And I was asked this question in class that they had 1000s of prizes. If you purchase the
coffee, you unroll the the the the cup, a million, a million dollars, a car, a house. I mean, Tim
Hortons is a multi billion dollar corporation, they were giving prizes after prizes. Right? So the
question was, well, for some weird reason, they like that bread. So everybody's drinking Tim
Hortons. And the Muslim brother wants something, a Muslim brother wants something. So is this Helen,
		

			the response, this is a gray area, the majority of odema of our time say listen to this, if the goal
and the intention was you're purchasing the product for the product, and the product is being
advertised at the same price, everybody knows is the same coffee. And you're Nia and alumnos. unia
is that you want to drink the coffee, you want to get the cereal box, you want to do whatever.
		

			And if this comes as a secondary thing, not the primary, then it is permissible, because your goal
was not to purchase the coffee for the rare chance of getting the million dollars, your goal was to
get the coffee drink. Okay, so in this case, the knee does count. And our chef entertainment also
said, and the corporation should not increase the price. To demonstrate that there's an extra fair
if you want to participate, you pay more, there should be the same price. So the coffee is for
$1.50. And then they advertise, okay, anybody who buys, you have the chance in a million to get a
million dollars, the coffee should still be $1.50, you should not have if you want to participate,
		

			then you have to pay the $2 coffee, you get the point should be the same price. And the New Year
should be I want to purchase for the sake of that in this case, because this is an incentive that
people should be buying but it's not a lottery per se. There is a position that says lottery and
that's fine. But the majority of scholars of our time say this would not be considered to be a
lottery J. This the third and final scenario, which is what he is saying,
		

			What if
		

			it's not pure luck, but some skills?
		

			That's what he is saying competition? What if it's a competition, and this is really the meat of the
motor? This is where the controversy occurs amongst the classical folk Haha, I'm going to summarize
Believe it or not, it's not that simple. Why? Because how do you think a Buddha would our prophet
SAW Selim said, there should be no competition, except in arrows and horses and camels? I'm
paraphrasing la sub 11 Aslan or whorfin or half an authentic idea without now what does it mean
there should be no competition. Everybody understands this means there should be no money for
competition. Obviously, I can have a competition for anything who has the cleanest house, okay, who
		

			has the whatever, here what is being talked about is gambling money. You know, the horse gambling,
whatnot, there should be no competition for money,
		

			except in these three things. Now, what does this mean?
		

			If there is to be money, then it is allowed to have monetary competitions, four arrows, for horses,
and for camels. Can anybody guess why
		

			these three are allowed. Firstly, before we get to exceptions,
		

			because all three are, let's just say defense mechanisms.
		

			Let's just say this is a legitimate struggle. And there are times when one needs to struggle to
protect one's family and honor. And so these three things are
		

			defense mechanisms, okay? So because of this, the sherea has allowed to go ahead and encourage the
people, let them aim better, right? Let them train their horses. We want to encourage this. Why so
because when there's $1,000 price, right, and whoever has the fastest horse, what's going to happen
100 people will train their horses, okay? And even if one wins the prize, the other 99 if there is
ever a struggle, they can struggle along with those who struggle, okay? So the oma benefits,
therefore processing, if there must be a competition, do it for these types of things. Okay. Now,
does this mean that everybody can then pay $100 and one person wins that $1,000 Prize or $10 $1,000.
		

			This is where the controversy occurs. The majority opinion is as follows
		

			if the money comes from a third party
		

			Then everything is legit. And the ruler says $1,000, or a corporation says these are the top 4123.
And the people are free of charge, no problem. This is the majority opinion for any competition, no
problem, because you're not the one paying, as we said. So if a third party gives the money, no
problem, whatever the competition, but the majority interpret this Hadeeth if you're going to pay an
amount, then the only scenario that this is allowed are these three, do you understand? And by the
way, whatever I'm saying there's always other opinions, I'm just giving you the default so that we
understand the concept. This is a position this is given to me as position, it is the position
		

			behind a vehicle and others methods as well, that if you're going to pay fees and participate, it
had better be for defense mechanisms, okay, for something that is mutually beneficial for the oma
and not something that is not mutually beneficial in that case, only if the money is third party, is
it halal, you cannot pay money to participate in that you understand this, right? Okay. The other
month upset?
		

			If you're paying your money, it is only helpful if some people are also participating who are not
paying money.
		

			In which case, then it's not gambling, where did they get this from? Hadeeth isn't a Buddha would.
The Prophet says and I've said many other forests and bainer photos saying well, who allow you Manu
and you spoke Felisa Kumar, whoever adds another horse to the two horses that are racing. And there
is no guarantee that that horse might win or lose IE. So two people have put the money. Two people
have put $100 $100 and they say whoever wins will get the 200. Is that clear? Right? The President
said, if a third horse comes in, without any money, and the horse is the similar speed as the
others, you don't bring a
		

			old horse, you don't bring a lame horse, you don't bring a blind horse similar, then in that case,
it is not gambling. Even if they put their own money, and then another person comes. So what this
means
		

			the safer opinion is as follows. And this is the majority opinion.
		

			Islamic competitions
		

			are the same ruling as these three because it benefits the oma whoever memorizes the Quran first,
whoever answers all of these questions of the Hadeeth No, we quiz first, okay, whoever does the
fifth exam and scores the highest grade. Now guys understand me if the money comes from the masjid,
how long were held 100% held that if the money comes from a third party 100% that we are talking
about, if the students have to pay money, this is the whole scenario of potential gambling, the
majority opinion is as follows. It is not allowed to hold such a competition where everybody pays
$10 and from that money, you have the first prize is 1000. The second prize is 500. Unless you bring
		

			in one or two or three other students who are equally qualified, and and who What? Who don't pay any
fees. Okay, this is the majority opinion. Now, even taymiyah ignore him. And even Hanafi madhhab.
they disagreed and they said no. This other Hadith, they interpreted in a bit of a complicated
stretch, we're not going to go into it. They basically said no, it is allowed. When there is Muslim
for the oma. It is allowed for everybody to be equally participating with money. Because the goal is
to incentivize the oma and they use the first Hadith which is there is no competition except in
these three. And they said the whole point of the competition is what is to bring in money. And some
		

			of them consider the other party to be weak and others that it is abrogate and others brought their
interpretation. The bottom line and with this we conclude in sha Allah
		

			insha Allah it is permissible
		

			to have an Islamic competition
		

			that benefits the oma in any area that the oma collectively benefits from where students or
participants put in a fee, and that fee is used for the grand prize. However, to get out of the
hilife even taymiyah said as Helen has been credited to get out of the head off, it will always be
wise to bring in one or two students who don't pay anything and maybe a lottery system can everybody
pays that one person you just
		

			Pull out the okay you get a free one. You just maybe this way so that you follow the safer opinion
and say okay, now this is not a lottery or gambling because there's some people or even one person
but as long as they're all equally coming in you don't you haven't hedged the bets yourself you
haven't yourself structured it that okay the weakest student doesn't pay No, not like that everybody
should come equally than one or two should not pay then it is out of the head off and all the men
have would allow, nonetheless, if the structure is not like that. Then Eben Tamia has a long passage
in his book table furusiyya which is a book about it actually mentions about these types of things
		

			horse reading or whatnot. And he says it's completely headed. You're allowed to do this because it
benefits the oma and because of the Heidi at a loss knows best.
		

			In nothing, dounia Solomon
		

			Leah
		

			Leah