Fatwa ID: 08259
Answered by Alimah Humairah Badshah
Question:
I downloaded an app called Bubble Peak, where you play games to earn money.
- At first, they gave me a welcome bonus, which I used to earn £33, but I later lost some of it.
- Then, I deposited £30, and instead of just that, they gave me a £60 bonus, which could be converted to cash if I won games.
- After playing, I ended up with £56 in cash. After deductions, they paid me £50.89.
My questions:
- Is this money halal for me?
- If it is haram, can I keep my original £30 and give the extra £20.89 to charity?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
In Surah Ma’idah, Allah (عز و جل) says: {O you who believe! Wine, gambling, altars and divining arrows are filth, made up by Satan. Therefore, refrain from it, so that you may be successful.} {Satan wishes only to plant enmity and malice between you through wine and gambling, and to prevent you from the remembrance of Allah and from Salāh. Would you, then, abstain?} [5:90-91]
The app game ‘Bubble Fever’ is a game where one enters an initial sum of money into a prize pool which pays out to the winner/s of a game but not the loser/s. This is gambling, and therefore haram.
The proceeds acquired through impermissible means should be returned to the initial owner, and if that is not possible then the money should be donated to charity. As for your deposit of £30, then if during your gambling sessions that amount remained untouched in your personal funds area and was never used for gambling (ie: if after depositing a certain value the amount of money in your account never dipped below that value) then it could be said that the money was not acquired through gambling and therefore would not need to be donated.
However, one should keep in mind that gambling is a prohibited act and should not be taken lightly. One should repent sincerely and make a firm intention to never return to such a sin. On top of this, acts of worship such as charity can also serve to expiate sin. Due to this, it would be recommended for one to donate all the money withdrawn from the gambling app, regardless of the amount deposited initially.
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Whomever takes an oath in which he mentions Lat and `Uzza [forgetfully], should say: ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah’, and whoever says to his companion. ‘Come along, let us gamble’ must give charity [as an expiation].” [Sahih al-Bukhari 4860]
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Humairah Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْخَمْرُ وَٱلْمَيْسِرُ وَٱلْأَنصَابُ وَٱلْأَزْلَـٰمُ رِجْسٌۭ مِّنْ عَمَلِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ فَٱجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ أَن يُوقِعَ بَيْنَكُمُ ٱلْعَدَٰوَةَ وَٱلْبَغْضَآءَ فِى ٱلْخَمْرِ وَٱلْمَيْسِرِ وَيَصُدَّكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَعَنِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۖ فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّنتَهُونَ
Surah Al-Ma’idah [5:90-91]
وَغُرُرُ الْأَفْكَارِ (قَوْلُهُ مِنْ الْجَانِبَيْنِ) بِأَنْ يَقُولَ إنْ سَبَقَ فَرَسُك فَلَكَ عَلَيَّ كَذَا، وَإِنْ سَبَقَ فَرَسِي فَلِي عَلَيْك كَذَا زَيْلَعِيٌّ وَكَذَا إنْ قَالَ إنْ سَبَقَ إبِلُك أَوْ سَهْمُك إلَخْ تَتَارْخَانِيَّةٌ (قَوْلُهُ لِأَنَّهُ يَصِيرُ قِمَارًا) لِأَنَّ الْقِمَارَ مِنْ الْقَمَرِ الَّذِي يَزْدَادُ تَارَةً وَيَنْقُصُ أُخْرَى، وَسُمِّيَ الْقِمَارُ قِمَارًا لِأَنَّ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ الْمُقَامِرَيْنِ مِمَّنْ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ مَالُهُ إلَى صَاحِبِهِ، وَيَجُوزُ أَنْ يَسْتَفِيدَ مَالَ صَاحِبِهِ وَهُوَ حَرَامٌ بِالنَّصِّ
Radd Al-Muhtaar (Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.6 p.403
وَحُرِّمَ شَرْطُ الْجُعَلِ مِنْ الْجَانِبَيْنِ لَا مِنْ أَحَدِ الْجَانِبَيْنِ، وَمَعْنَى شَرْطِ الْجُعَلِ مِنْ الْجَانِبَيْنِ أَنْ يَقُولَ: إنْ سَبَقَ فَرَسُك فَلَكَ عَلَيَّ كَذَا، وَإِنْ سَبَقَ فَرَسِي فَلِي عَلَيْك كَذَا وَهُوَ قِمَارٌ فَلَا يَجُوزُ
Al-Fataawa Al-Hindiyyah (Daar Al-Fikr, https://shamela.ws) v.6 p.445
يَتَصَدَّقُوا بِهِ؛ لِأَنَّ سَبِيلَ الْكَسْبِ الْخَبِيثِ التَّصَدُّقُ إذَا تَعَذَّرَ الرَّدُّ
Kitab Al-Bahr Al-Raa’iq (Daar Al-Kutub Al-Islaamiyyah, https://shamela.ws) v.8 p.229
وَالصَّدَقَةُ تُطْفِئُ الْخَطِيئَةَ كَمَا يُطْفِئُ الْمَاءُ النَّارَ
Jami` at-Tirmidhi (https://sunnah.com) b.6, ch.79, no.71 (614)
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ مَنْ حَلَفَ فَقَالَ فِي حَلِفِهِ وَاللاَّتِ وَالْعُزَّى. فَلْيَقُلْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ. وَمَنْ قَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ تَعَالَ أُقَامِرْكَ. فَلْيَتَصَدَّقْ ”.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4860, Book 65, Hadith 381
