The Ruling on Participating in Qur'anic Competitions

Question:
May Allah reward you. Your Eminence, the father, the questioner says: There is a competition for memorizing the Noble Qur'an, and I wish to enter this competition. He says: May Allah reward you. There is a competition for memorizing the Noble Qur'an, and I wish to enter this competition, but I fear that I may be among those who seek the worldly life with their deeds, in which case I would be among the losers. Is it permissible for him to enter this competition?

Answer:
If his intention is the money, then yes, it is not permissible for him. But if his intention is to learn the Qur'an and to compete in the Qur'an, that is a good thing, yes. However, a condition is required for this prize: that nothing be paid. Because some people set a number to talk about, and they take money from you for the call, and they collect the money and divide it up, giving the prize winners a share of it, taking it as a trade. This is not permissible. This is gambling. This is gambling, and I seek refuge in Allah. You pay a small amount of money, and a large sum of money from the people's wealth comes to you. They are the ones who collected it from these precise calls, at such-and-such per call. But if they give you for good recitation without you paying anything, and your intention is not the money, then there is no harm in that.