QUESTION:

What do the scholars of the Dīn and muftīs of the Sacred Law state regarding the following issue: I borrowed someone some money, and so he returned me the payment from some money he had won from gambling. Is it permissible for me to accept this money?

Questioner: Brother from UK

ANSWER:

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب

If one knows that the wealth being given from gambling is, in essence, Harām wealth, then it is not permissible to accept this, therefore one should ask said person for a Halāl source of payment. Just as Imām Muhammad, upon whom be mercy, states that unless a person doesn’t come to know that the wealth being given to them is, in essence, Harām, and it is not mixed [with other wealth which is Halāl], or it has not changed [ownership] from some other wealth[1], then accepting it is impermissible, otherwise it is permissible.

Just as it is stated in Fatāwā Hindiyyah,

اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِي أَخْذِ الْجَائِزَةِ مِنْ السُّلْطَانِ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ يَجُوزُ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ يُعْطِيهِ مِنْ حَرَامٍ قَالَ مُحَمَّدٌ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَبِهِ نَأْخُذُ مَا لَمْ نَعْرِفْ شَيْئًا حَرَامًا بِعَيْنِهِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَأَصْحَابِهِ

“Scholars have differed over taking a wage, etc from a king, sultan, etc; some have said it is permissible so long as one does not come to know that it is actually harām wealth from which he is giving from. Imām Muhammad, upon whom be mercy, states that when we don’t know something is harām in its essence, then we will choose this opinion.”

[Fatāwā Hindiyyah, vol 5, ch 2, pg 342]

Though, if a person has attained some wealth from a non-Muslim via gambling without any form of deception whatsoever, then this wealth is Halāl for such person, and it is also permissible for one to accept such from said person.

Just as it stated in Radd al-Muhtār,

وَإِذَا دَخَلَ الْمُسْلِمُ دَارَ الْحَرْبِ بِأَمَانٍ، فَلَا بَأْسَ بِأَنْ يَأْخُذَ مِنْهُمْ أَمْوَالَهُمْ بِطِيبِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ بِأَيِّ وَجْهٍ كَانَ لِأَنَّهُ إنَّمَا أَخَذَ الْمُبَاحَ عَلَى وَجْهٍ عَرَى عَنْ الْغَدْرِ فَيَكُونُ ذَلِكَ طَيِّبًا لَهُ وَالْأَسِيرُ وَالْمُسْتَأْمَنُ سَوَاءٌ حَتَّى لَوْ بَاعَهُمْ دِرْهَمًا بِدِرْهَمَيْنِ أَوْ بَاعَهُمْ مَيْتَةً بِدَرَاهِمَ أَوْ أَخَذَ مَالًا مِنْهُمْ بِطَرِيقِ الْقِمَارِ فَذَلِكَ كُلُّهُ طَيِّبٌ لَهُ

“If a Muslim enters a non-Muslim governance in the state of safety, then there is no problem in accepting wealth from non-Muslim harbīs with their consent via any means, because he has taken permissible wealth free from any form of deception, thus it is halāl for such Muslim. A prisoner and a free person are both the same, up to the extent that if someone sold them a dirham in exchange for two, or sold them carrion [dead meat] in exchange for some amount of money, or accepted their wealth via gambling; these are all therefore halāl for such Muslim.”

[Radd al-Muhtār, vol 4, pg 188]

[1] A change in ownership causes a change in the ruling regarding that wealth i.e. Person A gives Harām wealth to person B, and then person B gives it back to person A; this wealth is thereby no longer Harām.

واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ ابو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء قادری

Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by Haider Ali

Read the original Urdu answer here: [Q-ID0746] Someone owes me money but wants to pay me back from money he won from gambling – is this permissible?

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