Avoiding Gambling Elements in Independence Day Competitions: A Fiqh Perspective

Various competitions, from cracker eating contests to sack races and other prize-winning games, are commonly held as entertainment to enliven the Independence Day atmosphere. However, Muslims need to pay attention to the mechanisms of a game or competition so that it does not contain elements of gambling, which is forbidden in Sharia.

KH Ahmad Sarwat Lc, on the Rumah Fiqih page, explained that a game or contract becomes prohibited gambling if four criteria are met.

1. There Are Two Betting Parties

It is not considered gambling if only one party places a bet. There must be at least two parties. For example, if I challenge you to an arm-wrestling match and I provide a prize of Rp 100,000 if you manage to beat me, but you do not bet anything, so if you lose you will not lose any property. This arm-wrestling match is not gambling because only one party is betting.

2. The Wager Is in the Form of Property

It is not considered gambling if what is wagered is not property. Property can take various forms, such as money, valuable objects like gold, silver, watches, bracelets, necklaces, jewellery, houses, land, vehicles, or securities. Even services that have a certain value are included. However, if what is at stake is not property, such as betting to get the front row in prayer by drawing lots as mentioned in the Prophetic hadith, then that drawing of lots is not considered gambling.

3. There Is a Competition or Draw That Determines Winning and Losing

In Arabic, this criterion is called mughalabah, which is a bet involving winning and losing. Its form can be a draw that relies purely on luck, or it can involve thinking, intelligence, intellectual ability, and so on. The point of contention here is not the draw or the luck, but the existence of a winner and a loser. How the winner is determined has no connection whatsoever with the ruling on gambling.

4. The Winner Has the Right to Take the Loser’s Property

Finally, the decisive factor in the ruling on gambling is this last criterion, which is the stipulation that the winning party has the right to take the property wagered by the losing party. The losing party must be willing and sincere in losing their property. If these four conditions in a game or contract are met, it is officially ruled as gambling, which is forbidden by Sharia.

Thus, the festivities of Independence Day competitions can remain a means of entertainment while strengthening community brotherhood, as long as the implementation does not contain elements of gambling. The Muslim community must ensure that prizes and competition mechanisms do not come from the property of losing participants or cause participants to wager their property. By understanding these boundaries, the tradition of 17th August competitions can continue to be carried out festively without neglecting the provisions of Sharia.