Paying to enter a tournament and win a prize
| Fatwa #2246 | Category: Business & Trade | Country: Zambia | Date: 23rd October 2026 |
| Fatwa #2246 | Date: 23rd October 2026 |
| Category: Business & Trade | |
| Country: Zambia | |
Question
Salamz
I Have an Enquiry
Tournaments lately
Participants pay a fee to enter the tournaments and at the end the winner gets a prize Money
Is it permissible to accept the money ?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Gambling is defined as “the ownership of wealth with a risk of loss (tamlikul maal alal mukhatara).” In other words, a form of gambling is where payment is certain from one side, but uncertain from the other. The one paying is staking his wealth, in that it may bring more wealth with it or be lost totally.[1]
Furthermore, gambling requires that the wealth one has put at stake has no valid return in lieu of it. Therefore, if one receives some valid service or product in lieu of the wealth, then that will not be gambling. Similarly, if the prize money is purely sponsored by a third party, it will be permissible.
For example, one goes to a chain store and makes purchases worth k1000. The store is running a promotion where each customer with a purchase higher than k1000 stands a chance to win either some cash or an item through a raffle. In this case, given that one has already received fair value for the k1000 spent, being included in the raffle will not be a gamble, rather a gift from the chain store to the customer.
On the other hand, if one does not receive fair value for the service or product received, then one would be staking one’s wealth in the hope of winning more. This is gambling.
Accordingly, prize money in a football, cricket, padel, etc, tournament will be permissible to collect if the following conditions are met:
- The entry fees charged factually and accurately represent real costs of facilitation such as hiring of the pitch, equipment etc. This would show that players are receiving fair value in return of the fee paid.
- These fees are communicated to the players/teams.
- The fee should not be a made-up number to simply raise the funds required for the prize.
Based on previous experience with tournaments in Zambia, the entry fees do not accurately offer fair return to the players, and the prize money is instead covered by it. This would not be permissible. A solution is to either procure a sponsor OR offer something like meals to each player in return for the fee.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Bilal Pandor
Concurred by
Mufti Muhammad Patel
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia
[1] رد المحتار، كتاب الحظر والإباحة، فصل في البيع: 7/403؛ سعيد
وسمي القمار قمارا لأن كل واحد من المقامرين ممن يجوز أن يذهب ماله إلى صاحبه ويجوز أن يستفيد مال صاحبه وهو حرام بالنص
المحيط البرهاني، كتاب الكراهية والاستحسان، الفصل السابع: 8/15؛ إدارة
والقمار حرام بالإجماع وبنص التنزيل
فإن شرطوا لذلك جعلاً فإن شرطوا الجعل من الجانبين فهو حرام وصورة ذلك: أن يقول الرجل لغيره تعال حتى نتسابق فإن سبق فرسك…أعطيك كذا وإن سبق فرسي…أعطيتني كذا وهذا هو القمار بعينه وهذا لأن القمار مشتق من القمر الذي يزداد وينقص سمي القمار قماراً لأن كل واحد من المقامرين ممن يجوز أن يذهب ماله إلى صاحبه أويستفيد مال صاحبه فيزداد مال كل واحد منهما مرة وينتقص أخرى فإذا كان المال مشروطاً من الجانبين كان قماراً والقمار حرام ولأن فيه تعليق تمليك المال بالخطر وإنه لا يجوز
الفتاوى العالمكيرية، كتاب الكراهية، الباب السادس:5/324؛ رشيدية
وما يفعله الأمراء فهو جائز أيضا بأن يقولوا لاثنين أيكما سبق فله كذا
آب كى مسائل أور أن كا حل، جوا: 6/261؛ بينات
جواهر الفقه، أحكام القمار: 2/349؛ كراتشي