Question:

As salam alaykum dear shuyookh,

My workplace is selling raffle tickets ($5.00 for 1, $9.00 for 2, etc) to raise money for a charity. The prize for the draw is a flat screen TV, if your name is drawn. Would it be permissible to partake in this sort of thing?

Endless salams and thanks

Answer:

Wa `alaikumus-salam

It depends on how the monies from the tickets will be spent, and how the prize was acquired by the organisers.

If a part (or whole) of the proceeds will go into acquiring the prize for the draw then that is not allowed. Since your money will be used to acquire the prize, there is a loss factor that is unfavourable to you should there be a contest. Especially since you will write in your name on the ticket, you will be a willing and intentional participant to a lottery, which is gambling. Even if you simply write your name because people tell you to do it for the “fun” of it, or because it is part of buying the tickets, this is not allowed.

If the full proceeds from the ticket sales will only go to the charity, you may buy them for the sake of charity alone and nothing else. This means the prize is sponsored fully by the organisers or any third party with no interests at the expense of the charity (i.e. the prize is not acquired using any monies from the ticket sales or from any contribution from the charity or anyone related to it), then that is considered a gift. Should your name be picked from the draw, that would be coincidental, not intentional, you may accept the prize. But I won’t suggest you partake in that either.

See the Post “Lottery“.

W ‘Allahu `alam

Abdul Shakur