What Is the Ruling on Receiving a Raffle Ticket with Earned Points?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
There is this website where doing things like reading an article can give you points, for example, 50-200 points; there is no way to spend money on these points; the only way to do it is through reading articles. You can then use these points to enter raffles; for example, 200 points to enter a raffle and earn a prize like a hat or a shirt. I wanted to know if this was gambling even though no money was involved.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health.
It is permissible for you to read articles to gain points and receive a raffle ticket. Using the raffle ticket to earn a prize will also be permissible. The raffle ticket will be considered a reward. The reason is that you are using a raffle ticket without putting a stake with some money. [Taqi Usmani, Buhuth Fi Qadaya Fiqhiyya al-Mu’asara]
Related:
Are Raffle Tickets Permissible?
Is It Lawful to Enter Into a Draw Which a Supermarket Offers?
Are Rewards Programs Offered by Credit Cards Permissible?
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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 is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
