What is the ruling on purchasing from exhibitions that announce prizes?
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The questioner : They collect all the numbers and cards.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : Then they draw, meaning, two or three numbers, and the owner of that number wins a car, an appliance, or...
The Shaykh : But are these goods sold at a higher price than the market, at the market price, or lower than the market price?The questioner : No, they may be cheaper.
The Shaykh : I see no harm in it, because this buyer is either safe or a winner. He is not harmed if the item comes to him; I mean, it does not harm him if he is deprived of the prize, and he benefits if the prize is awarded to him. So there is no harm in this.
The questioner : Meaning, the prize?
The Shaykh : The prize is lawful because he did not lose anything on it. Did he lose anything?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : No, he bought the item at its price or less.
The questioner : All right, and if the owner of the shop knows that if you buy the item from him, he will give you this number?
The Shaykh : There is no problem, provided that the shop owner has not raised the price, and that you, the buyer, bought for the sake of the item, not for the sake of the competition.
The questioner : But he knows, all right, if he knows that, for example, he wants to take...
The Shaykh : I mean, suppose he said: Whoever buys this pen for five riyals, and its value is five riyals, then enters the prize competition. Now, if the prize is awarded to him, he is a winner, and if it is not awarded, he is safe and does not lose anything. So there is no harm. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : Then they draw, meaning, two or three numbers, and the owner of that number wins a car, an appliance, or...
The Shaykh : But are these goods sold at a higher price than the market, at the market price, or lower than the market price?The questioner : No, they may be cheaper.
The Shaykh : I see no harm in it, because this buyer is either safe or a winner. He is not harmed if the item comes to him; I mean, it does not harm him if he is deprived of the prize, and he benefits if the prize is awarded to him. So there is no harm in this.
The questioner : Meaning, the prize?
The Shaykh : The prize is lawful because he did not lose anything on it. Did he lose anything?
The questioner : No.
The Shaykh : No, he bought the item at its price or less.
The questioner : All right, and if the owner of the shop knows that if you buy the item from him, he will give you this number?
The Shaykh : There is no problem, provided that the shop owner has not raised the price, and that you, the buyer, bought for the sake of the item, not for the sake of the competition.
The questioner : But he knows, all right, if he knows that, for example, he wants to take...
The Shaykh : I mean, suppose he said: Whoever buys this pen for five riyals, and its value is five riyals, then enters the prize competition. Now, if the prize is awarded to him, he is a winner, and if it is not awarded, he is safe and does not lose anything. So there is no harm. Yes.