Ruling on holding competitions that involve a loss
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner: May the Shaykh explain! What is the ruling on organizing a question competition on a tape or booklet in a school, for example? Then I present this competition on the condition that this tape or booklet is purchased at a nominal price, which might be the value of this tape or less. The Shaykh: How is this?The questioner: A specific tape, a lecture, for example, which I transcribe, and then I put questions on this lecture written on ten pages, for example.Then I offer this competition for free, but on the condition: Purchasing this tape at cost price or less. The Shaykh: Who buys it?The questioner: The competitors.
The Shaykh: Those who enter the competition.
The questioner: Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Is success guaranteed?The questioner: It may succeed, or it may not.
The Shaykh: Well, if he does not succeed, is he given the value of the tape?The questioner: No.
The Shaykh: It is not permissible. The questioner: But he will benefit from this tape, O Shaykh. The Shaykh: In any case, he might not have bought it at all without the competition, or he might have bought it for half the price.And in this case, it is said: Whoever wins the race, it is his, and whoever does not win, the price of the tape is returned to him and we take the tape from him, and if he wishes, its value remains.
The Shaykh: Those who enter the competition.
The questioner: Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Is success guaranteed?The questioner: It may succeed, or it may not.
The Shaykh: Well, if he does not succeed, is he given the value of the tape?The questioner: No.
The Shaykh: It is not permissible. The questioner: But he will benefit from this tape, O Shaykh. The Shaykh: In any case, he might not have bought it at all without the competition, or he might have bought it for half the price.And in this case, it is said: Whoever wins the race, it is his, and whoever does not win, the price of the tape is returned to him and we take the tape from him, and if he wishes, its value remains.