حكم القمار في الإسلام

Ruling of lottery and gambling in Islam

The lottery is a system of gambling which encourages people to spend seemingly small amounts of money either daily or weekly in the hope that they will earn great riches with ease.  The logical arguments against this system are obvious.  If a person spends $5 each week on the lottery is spending $240.00 each year,

This kind of financial loss puts undue stress on family and may result in familial disputes and discontent.  For those that spend more, the losses are even greater.  The lottery targets low-income families whose hopes for an easier life are made prey by the glittering jackpots.  These families become victims of themselves and the lottery industry as they throw away much needed and hard earned money on vain dreams encouraged by idleness and dependence upon false hopes.  When the true face of the lottery is considered, it is easy to understand why Almighty Allah has forbidden it along with all other forms of gambling.

Allah says in the Qu'ran:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّمَا الخَمرُ وَالمَيسِرُ وَالأَنصَابُ وَالأَزلاَمُ رِجسٌ مِن عَمَلِ الشَّيطَانِ فَاجتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُم تُفلِحُونَ (90) إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ الشَّيطَانُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَينَكُم العَدَاوَةَ وَالبَغضَاءَ فِي الخَمرِ وَالمَيسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُم عَن ذِكرِ اللَّهِ وَعَن الصَّلاَةِ فَهَل أَنتُم مُنتَهُونَ (91)سورة المائدة

"O you who believed, indeed, Wine (intoxicants), gambling, sacrificing on stone alert to other than Allah, and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful. Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?" (5:90-91)

For the few who actually "win," the lottery is a dishonorable way to make money as the bulk of lottery money comes from the hard work of the poor. Since the lottery exploits the vulnerable man, the one who "profits" from the lottery only profits from the loss of his brothers and sisters. The lottery also advocates a philosophy built around chance and "fate."  Yet Muslims know that no man earns a dime without the consent of Almighty Allah.

Allah said:

يَسأَلُونَكَ عَن الخَمرِ وَالمَيسِرِ قُل فِيهِمَا إِثمٌ كَبِيرٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَإِثمُهُمَا أَكبَرُ مِن نَفعِهِمَا وَيَسأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُل العَفوَ كَذَلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ اللَّهُ لَكُم الآيَاتِ لَعَلَّكُم تَتَفَكَّرُونَ (219)سورة البقرة

"They ask you concerning Wine (intoxicants) and gambling, say ' In of them is great sin, and some profit for people, but their sin is greater than their profit'" (2:219).

What to do about it?

- Stop playing lottery.

- Make repentance to Allah and ask for forgiveness.

- Encourage your fellow Muslims to stop immediately.

1- WHAT EVERY MUSLIM SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GAMBLING:" Every transaction in which gain and loss is obscure is known as Qimaar' and 'Maisar' in the Shar'iah terminology, and as Juwa' in the Urdu language. For instance, if two people compete in a race with the following conditions, that if you surpass me, then I will give you a thousand pounds and if I surpass you then you will have to give me a thousand pounds. Or if someone says, 'If it rains today you will have to give me a thousand pounds and if it does not rain then I will give you a thousand pounds.' Likewise if some packed boxes are being sold for a fixed price, for example four pounds per box and some of the boxes have contents with a value of five pounds with others containing a value of two pounds, then the purchase of these boxes will be gambling (Qimaar). Because of the obscurity of the gain and loss, there are numerous methods of gambling and in every age and region, gambling has been played in different forms and methods. "

THE LOTTERY CRAZE:

This article highlights the growing reliance of people worldwide on practice of gambling in the lottery." Ever since the establishment of the National Lottery, a minority section of the nation, those who are religiously-concerned like Christians and Muslims, have not been at all at ease with this national trend. Those who hail it as a success may look at the minority view as out of date with the material reality facing them in every aspect of their lives, but the minorities view is not about material welfare. It is about moral and religious restrictions imposed on the way people should acquire legally, religiously and morally acceptable wealth which contributes to the welfare of the society. It is not just handing out some charities, but by providing an honorable way in which people can use their God-given mental and physical gifts."

The reason for prohibiting gambling, lottery and similar methods is that they involve taking away someone else's money without earning it. In most of these methods, an amount of money is raised by those who participate in a game or a draw, and the prize is thus contributed by them all. Then the winner takes the prize without any particular effort on his part. Millions of pounds or dollars are paid to the one whose card matches the result of a draw done by a machine or a person. All such methods generate ill feelings between the participants, hence, the prohibition.

The speed by which a person gets his income is immaterial, provided that the method followed is legitimate. A businessman may buy a large quantity of a certain commodity today and it is shipped to him from abroad. By the time he receives it, the price of that commodity has risen sharply and there is much demand for it. He sells the entire shipment within a week or a few days, making large profits. This is perfectly legitimate, because there is no cheating, deception or exploitation involved.

When prizes are offered freely, without contributions from the participants or the public, these are normally symbolic. They may be given to promote a certain commodity or to publicize a particular business. Since they are offered by a promoter who asks nothing in return, they are permissible in Islam.

On the other hand, some of these prize draws are only used as a means to attract prospective customers. The method of attracting them could differ, but it always relies on lowering before them the prospect of winning a large prize, when this is by no means easy. Hence, they involve an element of deception, for which the promoter is answerable.