In a game like snooker where multiple people set a rule that loser will pay the bill of playing, is halal or haram?
I am skeptic about this cause this is very close to gambling and betting.
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Sign up to join this communityIn a game like snooker where multiple people set a rule that loser will pay the bill of playing, is halal or haram?
I am skeptic about this cause this is very close to gambling and betting.
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 , is His Slave and Messenger.
So,
People can give different opinions on this but it depends on you which person's opinion you want to follow. Any random person giving his opinion or a proper fatwa given by proper person. I can give some links to some fatwas which can be useful for you.
A snippet from one of above Fatwa which sums for your question is:
The basic principle is that the rental of this game – if it is free of haraam elements – should be paid by all the players. But the players agree that the loser will pay for himself and others, and the winners will not have to pay anything, this is what is called sabaq (prize money, winnings) and it is like betting on the game. This is not permissible according to sharee’ah, except where that has been narrated in a text in cases having to do with developing skills that are useful for jihad, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There shall be no stake (or wager) except in (racing) camels, or (racing) horses, or shooting arrows." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1700; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
That applies only to archery competitions and horse and camel racing, and the scholars drew analogies to other skills that are useful in jihad. Some also allowed competitions having to do with Islamic knowledge, because that is supporting Islam, like jihad with the sword, if not more so.
I opened a club and though it was running on the rule of loser to pay there were few games like snooker table tennis and hand soccer but after few months some Islamic scholars came to me and told me that it is haram in isalm that only loser pay the rent of game so then I changed the rule of game and it was set to be both the persons must have to pay but few months people came to play and after all no one was coming after some day then I closed the club