The ruling on competitions if they involve a reward
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Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and we send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
To proceed: So, on this day, Thursday,The fifth of the month of Dhul-Qa'dah, year: (1412 AH) we are opening the first session of this month, and we ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to make it a blessed session.
And on this occasion, I would like to remind you that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),He said: (whoever takes a path seeking knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise), and your presence in this place is only for the sake of attaining knowledge, and we ask Allah to make this work sincere for His face, and to guide us and you to what He loves and is pleased with, for He is the Generous, the Bountiful.
What is the ruling on a race if it involves a reward from one of the racers?
Its ruling is permissibility in the three things that the Shari'ah has permitted: a bow, a shoe, or a hoof.
The questioner: And wrestling, O Shaykh, does it not fall under this?The Shaykh: Wrestling does not fall under this.
The questioner: But it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he wrestled with Rakanah over a sheep and he threw him to the ground.
The Shaykh: No.
He wrestled with him on the condition that he would submit, so he submitted.
The questioner: O Shaykh! What if the wrestling involves a reward from both racers?The Shaykh: For example, he says: I owe you one hundred riyals if you beat me, or you owe me one hundred riyals if I beat you.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: This is what we are discussing,If he said: If I beat you, I guarantee you one hundred riyals, and there is nothing on the other side, so this does not fall under betting, there is nothing wrong with this.
The questioner: Okay! What if the reward is from a third party, not from the racers?The Shaykh: In that case, there is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner: In all competitions, or in the three?The Shaykh: In all competitions except for these forbidden competitions.
The questioner: Permissible, O Shaykh?The Shaykh: Forbidden competitions are not permissible.
The questioner: I mean if the reward in the competitions is from a third party! The Shaykh: Permissible competitions are like saying: race on foot, and whoever among you wins gets one hundred riyals, this is fine, or wrestle, and whoever among you throws the other gets one hundred riyals, this is fine; because it is considered a reward and encouragement, but if it is from both sides, either losing or winning, this is not permissible except in the three that I mentioned to you.
To proceed: So, on this day, Thursday,The fifth of the month of Dhul-Qa'dah, year: (1412 AH) we are opening the first session of this month, and we ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to make it a blessed session.
And on this occasion, I would like to remind you that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),He said: (whoever takes a path seeking knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise), and your presence in this place is only for the sake of attaining knowledge, and we ask Allah to make this work sincere for His face, and to guide us and you to what He loves and is pleased with, for He is the Generous, the Bountiful.
What is the ruling on a race if it involves a reward from one of the racers?
Its ruling is permissibility in the three things that the Shari'ah has permitted: a bow, a shoe, or a hoof.
The questioner: And wrestling, O Shaykh, does it not fall under this?The Shaykh: Wrestling does not fall under this.
The questioner: But it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he wrestled with Rakanah over a sheep and he threw him to the ground.
The Shaykh: No.
He wrestled with him on the condition that he would submit, so he submitted.
The questioner: O Shaykh! What if the wrestling involves a reward from both racers?The Shaykh: For example, he says: I owe you one hundred riyals if you beat me, or you owe me one hundred riyals if I beat you.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: This is what we are discussing,If he said: If I beat you, I guarantee you one hundred riyals, and there is nothing on the other side, so this does not fall under betting, there is nothing wrong with this.
The questioner: Okay! What if the reward is from a third party, not from the racers?The Shaykh: In that case, there is nothing wrong with it.
The questioner: In all competitions, or in the three?The Shaykh: In all competitions except for these forbidden competitions.
The questioner: Permissible, O Shaykh?The Shaykh: Forbidden competitions are not permissible.
The questioner: I mean if the reward in the competitions is from a third party! The Shaykh: Permissible competitions are like saying: race on foot, and whoever among you wins gets one hundred riyals, this is fine, or wrestle, and whoever among you throws the other gets one hundred riyals, this is fine; because it is considered a reward and encouragement, but if it is from both sides, either losing or winning, this is not permissible except in the three that I mentioned to you.