The Intended Meaning of the Prize in a Race

The questioner:
May I have your permission, Your Excellency, to take the questions.

The Shaykh:
Yes.

The questioner:
May Allah reward you. This questioner asks: What is the intended meaning of the prize? Is it a prize that one of the competitors provides, or a prize that someone other than the competitors provides?

The Shaykh:
You heard the statement on this that the race is either from a person outside the competitors, in which case there is no problem with its permissibility. The second case is that the prize is from one of the competitors to the other, and there is also no problem with its permissibility; whoever wins takes it. The third case is that the prize is from both competitors, each one paying the same amount as the other. This is the point of disagreement: is it permissible, or is it necessary for a third person to be involved to make it lawful? The correct view is that it is not required. Yes.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you.