I seek refuge in God from Satan
the rejected.
In the name of God, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful.
Question: Is buying lottery tickets
or playing PowerBall or similar
games permitted?
No, Islam (Submission) does not
permit buying lottery tickets. In
the Quran, God prohibits gambling
and games of chance in very clear
terms (2:219, 5:90-91).
Intoxicants and Gambling
Prohibited*
[Quran 2:219-220] They ask you
about intoxicants and gambling:
say, "In them there is a gross sin,
and some benefits for the people.
But their sinfulness far outweighs
their benefit." They also ask you
what to give to charity: say, "The
excess." GOD thus clarifies the
revelations for you, that you may
reflect, upon this life and the
Hereafter ...
Intoxicants and Gambling
Prohibited
[Quran 5:90-91] O you who
believe, intoxicants, and gambling,
and the altars of idols, and the
games of chance are abominations
of the devil; you shall avoid them,
that you may succeed. The devil
wants to provoke animosity and
hatred among you through
intoxicants and gambling, and to
distract you from remembering
GOD, and from observing the
Contact Prayers (Salat). Will you
then refrain?
Chapter 5 verse 90 and 91 are
very strong injunctions against
lottery, gambling and games of
chance. God calls these,
"abominations of the devil". Can
there be a stronger reason to avoid
them? If we love God, and know
Satan is our enemy (Quran 35:6),
we would never ever touch lottery
or play slots or gamble at a casino.
It is worth noting that the strong
injunction to "avoid" is used for
idol worship (16:36). Gambling and
the lottery are that bad. It is just
not worth the damage to our souls.
As we read in 2:219, while there
may be some benefit (as
proponents of the lottery argue),
the damage and sinfulness far
outweighs any benefits. Even if
one has extra money to spend, and
it's not destroying a family's
finances, God recommends using
that money for charity (They also
ask you what to give to charity:
say, "The excess." instead of
gambling or the lottery.
We know that people who gamble
and get drunk, usually have
terrible social interaction. They are
prone to arguments and fights and
a few even end up killing one
another. Families are invariably
hurt with gambling problems, and
people have ended up losing their
homes and life savings in some
case. It is no coincidence that Las
Vegas has one of the highest
suicide rates in the country.
Regardless of whether one has "a
problem" or "addiction", gambling
takes us away from remembering
God. We're preoccupied thinking
of the next bet, or how the next
ticket will make us rich and solve
all our problems. Instead, we
should turn our focus to God
Alone. Only God can make us rich
or solve our problems.
[Quran 53:48] He is the One who
makes you rich or poor.
Happiness Now, and Forever
[22:15] If anyone thinks that GOD
cannot support him in this life and
in the Hereafter, let him turn
completely to (his Creator in)
heaven, and sever (his dependence
on anyone else). He will then see
that this plan eliminates anything
that bothers him.
