Is a Tournament Permissible if Entry Fees May Fund the Prizes?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul Rashim Reasat

Question

I am paying a fee to my club, and my club pays an organization to host the tournament. The fee guarantees that I get to play all my matches, whether my team wins or
loses. At the end, the winning teams get trophies. I tried to contact the trophy company to ask whether the awards are paid for with player registration money, but they did not respond.

Is this fee halal, or is it considered gambling because of the trophies? Could you please provide a clear, evidence-based response so I can have total peace of mind?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all beings, and may peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).

It is permissible for you to play, compete, and to take the trophy if you win. Your payment is in order. You don’t have direct interaction with the organization; it is a separate contract that doesn’t involve you.

As for the trophy, it’s based on skill, and whoever is skillful enough to win the tournament. It’s not a game of chance, as with gambling, so you don’t have anything to worry about. [Maydani, Lubab]

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

And Allah knows best.

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.