Is Paying for Cancellations Apps for Driving Test Permissible?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Is it permissible to pay for a cancellation app that helps book earlier driving tests, even though success depends on others cancelling? Does this resemble gambling, and is it allowed in cases of necessity?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.
Paying for a service that secures an earlier driving test is not gambling. You pay for real services like software, administration, and automation, not chance. While success relies on cancellations, the provider monitors and notifies you quickly.
You’re not competing against others whose gain causes your loss, nor risking money. It’s a fee for effort and facilitation, not a gamble.
Gambling includes uncertain outcomes (gharar) with high risk, where one party’s gain is another’s loss. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
I would like you to read the valuable answers below. Insha’Allah, you will gain a deeper understanding of your question.
Related: Gharar Archives
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received a traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
