The Challenge Between Two People with a Meal for the Loser

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. He says: Sometimes there is a challenge between two people in a game or in something else, and the loser brings a meal for the other. Is this permissible?

Answer:
No, this is gambling. All wagers involving money are all gambling, except for what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) excluded: The arrow refers to archery; there is no harm in wagering on archery, on riding horses, or on the hooves of camels, because these are mounts of jihad.
It is permissible to take prizes for these because they encourage learning jihad in the path of Allah. Ibn al-Qayyim said that prizes for memorizing the Qur'an are included in this, because memorizing the Qur'an and scientific and jurisprudential issues, he says, are part of jihad in the path of Allah. So prizes are taken for these competitions; prizes are taken for them, provided there is no contradiction. Yes.