We are planning a friendly volleyball tournament among friends. Each participant will pay a $20 entry fee to cover organizational expenses—such as renting the court, purchasing trophies and medals for winners and runners-up, and providing dinner for all players. Some participants have expressed concern that awarding trophies to the winners may not be permissible since volleyball is not among the three forms of competition (nidal)—camel racing, horse racing, and archery—explicitly permitted for monetary prizes in hadith. Is this arrangement permissible in Islam?
Bismillahi Ta’ala
Walaikum Assalam Warahmatullah,
The issue of collecting entry fees for sports tournaments and awarding prizes to winners requires careful consideration in light of Sharīʿah principles governing gambling (qimār). The fundamental principle established by the fuqahāʾ is that qimār occurs when wealth is transferred with an element of risk, meaning one person’s gain is contingent on another’s loss.
Imām al-Jaṣṣāṣ ʳʰ defines qimār as “The transfer of ownership of wealth contingent upon risk” ( Aḥkām al-Qurʾān lil-Jassās ).
When participants pay entry fees that are pooled together and redistributed as prize money for winners, the arrangement structurally mirrors gambling because the winners’ gain arises from the losses of others.
Darul Iftaa Chicago mentions in one of their fatwa, “an arrangement where all participants contribute money that is eventually given to the winner, even after subtracting operational expenses, is gambling. However, if a third party sponsors the prize money, and the entry fee is used exclusively for operational costs, then this arrangement would be permissible”.
This distinction emphasizes that the Sharʿī ruling does not depend on the nature of the sport itself, whether it involves skill or effort, but on the financial structure of the transaction. A skill-based game can still involve qimār if wealth is staked upon uncertain outcomes, just as a game of chance without financial stakes would not.
In this context, the permissibility hinges upon the purpose of the entry fee. If participants pay the entry fee as a wager for the chance to win a greater amount, it constitutes qimār and is impermissible. However, if the fee is collected purely for legitimate organizational expenses, such as renting the venue, providing refreshments, then it is considered a service fee and is permissible.
Mufti Ismaeel Bassa provides guidance on a similar case involving an archery tournament, stating that “if the entrance fees are used towards the cost of the tournament (court hire, facilities, etc.), and the trophies or medals are provided independently by the facilitators, then this does not fall under gambling. Gambling is when one risks the loss or gain of one’s wealth. Here, all participants receive what they paid for”.
Thus, as long as every participant receives fair value in return, be it through participation, facilities, or food, the element of risk or wagering is absent.
A further consideration is the perception of the participants themselves. Even if technically permissible, Sharīʿah cautions against arrangements that resemble gambling or could be mistaken for it by the general public. If participants perceive their entry fee as a wager for potential gain, thinking “I’m putting in $20 for a chance to win $100”, then the structure mimics gambling in spirit.
A simple test illustrates this: if the prize value were reversed (for instance, a $100 entry fee for a $20 prize), participants would likely protest, demonstrating that they view their payment as a bet, not a participation cost. Therefore, organizers should be transparent that the entry fee is allocated solely for logistical expenses and that the trophies or medals represent recognition rather than material profit.
To avoid qimār, several Sharʿī-compliant alternatives exist.
- One is to ensure that the entry fees cover only the event’s operational costs, such as court rental, refreshments, and administration, with the prizes funded separately by a non-participating sponsor.
- Another permissible structure is where all participants receive equal-value benefits (such as medals, dinner, or T-shirts) so no one’s wealth is staked or lost.
- Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari explains that “in order for a transaction to be considered gambling, the money which one puts at stake must be paid without any return. As such, if one receives the full return for the money put at stake, it cannot be called gambling”.
Therefore, the key determinant is that participants’ fees correspond directly to tangible benefits they receive.
In summary, a sports tournament like a volleyball or cricket competition can be Sharʿī-compliant if the entry fees genuinely cover organizational costs and do not serve as a wager for prize money. Thereafter awards (whether medals, trophies, or symbolic gifts) should either be funded by the organizers independently or sponsored by an external party.
If each participant receives value commensurate with their fee, such as participation, facilities, and food, the transaction remains a straightforward exchange rather than a speculative gamble. However, any model where the winners’ prize is funded directly from the participants’ own pooled contributions would constitute qimār and thus be ḥarām.
Therefore, for the volleyball tournament described: if the $20 entry fee is solely used to cover the cost of the venue, food, while the medals and the trophies are provided independently by the organizers or a sponsor, the arrangement is permissible.
The crucial safeguards are:
- ensuring that the entry fee is not a wager,
- keeping the use of funds transparent so even the participants are clear that their entry is not being utilized towards the prizes, and
- maintaining a structure that does not replicate the financial dynamics of gambling.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi