Firstly, competing among people in general is permissible, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself used to compete with Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). People were racing with camels in the open field of Medina without any objection.
Secondly, if the competition involves a prize, it could be organized by a neutral party that is not one of the competitors, such as government or international institutions. In this case, there is no objection to participating in the competition, as it is not considered gambling but rather the prize is earned through ja’alah (the prize is given by a neutral party, such as a government or an organization, and the participants do not have to pay anything to enter the competition).
Alternatively, the competition could be based on equal or different contributions from the competitors, with one person winning and the others losing. This type of competition is considered gambling and is prohibited in Islam, as Allah says: “Indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it.” [Al-Ma’idah, 5:90]. However, this type of competition is permissible only in two cases:
• It is permissible for a Muslim to participate in a competition held in a non-Muslim area and compete against non-Muslims, even if the Muslim is a contributor to the prize. This is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) risked racing against Rukana bin Zaid in Mecca and won, and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) also risked racing against the people of Mecca and won, and he took their camels after the Battle of Hudaybiyyah. This is the opinion of the Hanafi school of law and some Hanbalis.
• The second case is to apply the principle of “horse between two horses”, which means that the competition is between peers, but one of them does not pay the entry fee, while the others do. If the winner wins, they receive the money, and if one of the others wins, they receive the money. In this case, the competition is considered a “ja’alah” agreement, and the evidence for this is the Hadith: “Whoever enters a horse between two horses and is not sure that his horse will win, it is not considered gambling, but whoever enters a horse between two horses and is sure that his horse will win, then it is considered gambling.”
This is the opinion of the Hanafi and Shafi’i schools of law.
Therefore, if the prize in the Ping Pong competition comes from the pool of entry fees, then it is considered gambling. However, if the entry fee money goes to widows and orphans, but the prize is given by a third party, then this action is permissible. And Allah knows best.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr