Question:
Dear Shaykh Gibril,
As-salaamuaalykum wa rahamtullah.
I currently work for a non-Muslim run English language school in Malaysia. They are planning to organize an iftar program at a local Yemeni restaurant here for our students. We have a majority Arab Muslim student population from the Gulf and Libya. Students who want to join the iftar have to pay about $13.00 for the dinner. The actual cost of the dinner is only about $10.00. The organizers add about $3.00 per student to the total price in order to purchase a group of prizes which they distribute via a lottery system at the iftar. Students are not aware of the price distribution and simply pay $13.00 to join the iftar. Is this a form of unlawful gambling which I should condemn and advise my bosses to stop? As a Muslim, it doesn’t seem correct to me.
Answer:
Alaykum Salam,
This lottery is more akin to drawing lots than gambling. Drawing lots is halal and reflects the organizers’ sense of fairness.
Furthermore, “winning” gifts in that way brings additional happiness to the participants.
The prohibited lottery is the addictive form of purchasing numbers week after week in a system statistically rigged to deceive the players and garner huge funds for the state.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
