What is the ruling on holding football tournaments in which each team pays a specific amount, part of which is for insurance and is returned to them upon completion, and the rest is for purchasing prizes for the winning teams, the referees, and the fields?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Your Eminence, may Allah preserve you and grant you piety: What is your opinion regarding holding football tournaments, where each team pays an amount, for example, seven hundred riyals?
The Shaykh : Seven hundred, with the kasrah on the mim.
The questioner : Yes, seven hundred riyals, and the amount consists of five hundred riyals for membership and two hundred for insurance, which is returned to the team after the tournament ends, knowing that the amount of five hundred riyals.
The Shaykh : Five hundred, with the kasrah on the mim.
The questioner : Five hundred.
The Shaykh : This alif is extra, so it is not pronounced according to the writing.
The questioner : Knowing that the remaining amount of five hundred riyals from the total is spent on purchasing prizes to be distributed to the winners in the first three places, as well as for the referees, and for the costs of leveling the field and other related matters? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : What we see is that there is hesitation regarding the permissibility of paying a reward in games. We see hesitation in its permissibility, because these games are permissible if they do not contain anything forbidden, such as exposing the awrah, being distracted from prayer, or cursing and insulting among the players. If they contain these things, they are forbidden; if they do not contain them, they are among the permissible matters and there is nothing wrong with them. However, the fact that it involves a reward paid by everyone and then goes to the winner, this is gambling (maysir) and is not permissible: due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1700Hasan (Darussalam) There is no racing (reward) except in the arrow, the hoof, or the camel. "No racing" means: no reward. Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1700Hasan (Darussalam) Meaning: the arrow refers to arrows, the hoof refers to camels, and the hoof refers to horses.
These three were excepted because of their assistance in jihad in the path of Allah.
As for taking a reward in anything other than these, it is forbidden and not permissible, except that some scholars, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, said: There is no harm in taking a bet in matters of Islamic jurisprudence, because Islamic jurisprudence is a type of jihad in the path of Allah, since jihad in the path of Allah includes jihad with weapons and jihad with knowledge.
Therefore, what you mentioned in the question, we see that it is not permissible. However, if a person from outside comes and wants to donate something to the racers among them, I hope there is no harm in that, although I have hesitation in my heart regarding paying a reward for these games.
The Shaykh : Seven hundred, with the kasrah on the mim.
The questioner : Yes, seven hundred riyals, and the amount consists of five hundred riyals for membership and two hundred for insurance, which is returned to the team after the tournament ends, knowing that the amount of five hundred riyals.
The Shaykh : Five hundred, with the kasrah on the mim.
The questioner : Five hundred.
The Shaykh : This alif is extra, so it is not pronounced according to the writing.
The questioner : Knowing that the remaining amount of five hundred riyals from the total is spent on purchasing prizes to be distributed to the winners in the first three places, as well as for the referees, and for the costs of leveling the field and other related matters? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : What we see is that there is hesitation regarding the permissibility of paying a reward in games. We see hesitation in its permissibility, because these games are permissible if they do not contain anything forbidden, such as exposing the awrah, being distracted from prayer, or cursing and insulting among the players. If they contain these things, they are forbidden; if they do not contain them, they are among the permissible matters and there is nothing wrong with them. However, the fact that it involves a reward paid by everyone and then goes to the winner, this is gambling (maysir) and is not permissible: due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
No stake is acceptable except in archery, racing a camel, and racing a horse.
لا سبق إلا في نصل أو خف أو حافرexcept in archery, racing a camel, and racing a horse
إلا في نصل أو خف أو حافرThese three were excepted because of their assistance in jihad in the path of Allah.
As for taking a reward in anything other than these, it is forbidden and not permissible, except that some scholars, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, said: There is no harm in taking a bet in matters of Islamic jurisprudence, because Islamic jurisprudence is a type of jihad in the path of Allah, since jihad in the path of Allah includes jihad with weapons and jihad with knowledge.
Therefore, what you mentioned in the question, we see that it is not permissible. However, if a person from outside comes and wants to donate something to the racers among them, I hope there is no harm in that, although I have hesitation in my heart regarding paying a reward for these games.