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Fatwa CenterRuling on taking a fee for predicting sports results
Question
Assalam o Alaikum I watch football mainly Real Madrid matches. It is a football club. After watching matches of real madrid for a while now I have developed kind of sixth sense and some kind of football understanding by which I can make a calculated prediction (usually 60-70% right) about what will be the score after the match end i.e 3-1 or 4-0 etc. I am Hanafi so please tell me according to Hanafi ruling. I have two questions: 1. What are the circumstances under which I can make money from this skill/knowledge? 2. Can I take a fixed fee for telling my prediction to somebody whether it comes out true or not and that person do whatever or nothing with this knowledge? Example: I simply charge $10(suppose) to somebody and tell what I feel about a particular match result and get paid before the start or end of the match. Isn't it simply transaction for a harmless knowledge? Please answer both questions in complete details. Jazakullah Assalam o Alaikum
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, we alert you that a Muslim should preserve his time and preoccupy himself with what benefits him in this life and in the Hereafter. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “There are two blessings concerning which many people are cheated: health and free time.” [Al-Bukhari]
The Muslim will be questioned on the Day of Judgment about this. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “The two feet of the son of Aadam will not move on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about four (matters)” – among which he mentioned – “his youth how he used it up, and his life, how he spent it.” [At-Tirmithi]
Hence, a person will be questioned about his life in general and about his youth in particular, and this applies to anything that a person does in his life.
Nonetheless, one may entertain himself with what is permissible, whether he does the act himself or watches others do it; this includes watching matches provided they abide by the following Islamic guidelines:
1. The players should be men if the viewer is a man and women if the viewer is a woman.
2. They should cover their ‘Awrah (i.e. body parts that should be covered as per the Sharee‘ah).
3. This should not distract him from an obligatory act or dutifulness to parents or obedience to them when the time comes.
4. This should not lead to being fanatical concerning a particular team, in such a way that this leads to hating or being an enemy to the other team.
5. This should not lead him to uttering something that angers Allaah, such as an insult or slander or the like.
6. This should not become an entertainment for which one dedicates himself and spends hours of his life doing it, as this spoils his heart and mind, and detracts from his status in the sight of rational people.
There is no doubt that there are relaxations in the religion in the same way that there are general rules; it is said: “Give the heart its leisure and it will comprehend the reminder.” So, entertainment is a permissible concession as long as it does not exceed its limits and become a purpose in itself.
Based on the above, if your watching of these games conforms with the above Islamic guidelines, you are not sinful for this, but it is not permissible to bet on predicting the winner or loser or to aid a person who wants to bet on this, as this is forbidden gambling which is neither permissible to partake in nor to aid someone in partaking in it, even without any compensation.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami said in his book Az-Zawaajir ‘an Iqtiraaf Al-Kabaa’ir: “Allaah says (what means): {O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars [to other than Allaah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful. Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allaah and from prayer. So will you not desist?}[Quran 5:90-91] Gambling involves any kind of betting, and the reason why it is forbidden and why it is a very serious matter is that it consumes people’s money unjustly, which Allaah has forbidden, as Allaah says (what means): {And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly.}[Quran 2:188].” [End of quote]
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