Prize Bond Winnings: Halāl or Harām? Complete Shar‘i Guidance
(Taken from: Aḥkām wa Masā’il – Issues of Buying & Selling, vol. 1, p. 387)
❖ Question:
A person purchased a prize bond number for 50 rupees, and that number later won 500,000 rupees. Is this amount of 500,000 rupees ḥalāl or ḥarām for him?
❖ Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, ammā ba‘d:
In the situation described, the 500,000 rupees are ḥarām.
❖ Reasoning:
Prize bonds fall under the category of maysir (gambling) and qimār (games of chance), both of which are explicitly prohibited in the Qur’an. The profit is not based on trade, investment, or real earning, but rather on luck and speculation, making the reward unlawful.
Allah says:
﴿يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا ٱلۡخَمۡرُ وَٱلۡمَيۡسِرُ وَٱلۡأَنصَابُ وَٱلۡأَزۡلَـٰمُ رِجۡسٞ مِّنۡ عَمَلِ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِ فَٱجۡتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُفۡلِحُونَ﴾
(al-Ma’idah: 90)
“O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, idols, and divining arrows are filth from the work of Shayṭān, so avoid them that you may succeed.”
Thus, the prize money obtained through bonds is unlawful (ḥarām) income.
❖ Conclusion:
✔ Prize bond investment and winnings are ḥarām.
✔ The 500,000 rupees gained in this case are not permissible to consume.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
