Fatwa ID: 09400
Answered by Mufti Sakib Shadman
Question:
Is the below raffle Halal because tickets/entries are based on the amount *raised*, and not *donated*?
Fundraising Deadline: February 13 — don’t miss your chance to be entered into the Ramadan Umrah Raffle!
Every contribution makes a difference, and every extra effort brings you closer. Whether you’re just getting started or continuing to build momentum, your dedication truly counts.
How the Umrah Raffle Works:
For every additional $1,000 raised, your family’s name is entered again:
$1,000 = 1 entry
$2,000 = 2 entries
And so on!
This raffle is designed to celebrate perseverance, consistency, and generosity — may Allah reward every step you take.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The Ramadan Umrah raffle is essentially a fundraising project with an incentive awarded to a random donor. Their chances of winning the prize increase according to the amount they donate.
The terminology used (i.e., “raised” or “donated”) in the raffle contest does not affect the ruling.[4] This contest resembles gambling because people are paying for raffle tickets while the financial outcome is unknown. This is tantamount to gambling, in which a person stakes his wealth on an uncertain outcome, where he may either gain a prize or lose his money.[1, 2] Of course, if the contestant’s intention is sincere, he will be rewarded in the Hereafter; however, in the Dunya, the donors who do not win the prize will have lost all the money they contributed.
Thus, this form of fundraising is not permissible. Alternatively, funds may be raised by hosting a fundraising dinner with expensive tickets. Or you may raise funds without mentioning anything about raffle tickets and then, at the end, voluntarily issue raffle tickets to all donors. Finally, you may issue free raffle tickets to all members of the masjid and encourage them to make a voluntary donation.
However, a fundraising system in which a donor receives a raffle ticket for every set amount donated, with the chance of winning a prize (such as a free Ramadan Umrah trip), remains equivalent to gambling and is therefore impermissible.[3]
Only Allah ﷻ knows best.
Written by Mufti Sakib Shadman
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
References:
[1]
١٢٦٨١ – احتجوا: بحديث أبي هريرة – رضي الله عنهم -: (أن النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – نهى عن بيع الغرر
Kitab al-Tajrid li al-Quduri, Dar al-Salaam, 2nd ed., 2006. Vol.5 p.2605.
[2]
قال أحمد: الأصل في ذلك أنه متى كان شرط المتسابقين: أنه إن سبق أخذ، وإن سبق أعطى، وليس معهما غيرهما: فهذا قمارٌ لا يجوز
Kitab Sharh Mukhtasar al-Tahawi li al-Jassaas, Dār al-Bashair al-Islamiyyah, 1st ed., 2010. Vol.7 p.370.
[3]
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 بِالنَّصِ
Radd Al-Muhtaar, Halabi ed., Daar Al-Fikr, 1966. Vol.6 p.403.
[4]
العبرة في العقود للمقاصد والمعاني لا للألفاظ والمباني
Kitab Murshid al-Hayran, al-Matba’ah al-Kubra al-Amiriyyah, 2nd ed., 1891. p.36.