Is It Permissible to Accept Prizes for a Quran Competition?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
I wanted clarification on whether it is possible to participate in competitions like a Quran competition or an essay competition with a religious topic, with some prize or prestige attached to it, while being sincere.
It seems that to benefit from the prize and prestige from such competitions is deriving worldly benefit from Islamic knowledge? Is it possible to be sincere in such circumstances?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
It is permissible to engage in a competition centred around an activity that has the benefit of preservation of Islam, such as Quranic recitation.
This ruling is based on the scholarly discussion on competitions. The scholars mentioned that as long as it is not a two-way payment (similar to gambling), it is permissible to engage in and take a prize in such a competition. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Note that due to various narrations of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), the scholars limited the permissibility of competitions to those things that would assist someone in Jihad or in Islamic knowledge, as these are the two main means of the preservation of Islam. [Ibid.]
By extension, anything else that is related to and would uphold either of these two meanings (jihad and knowledge) would also be permissible to compete in for a prize. [Ibid.]
Related: A Reader on Sincerity, Intention, and the Purpose of Spiritual Routines
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.
There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.
Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
