Competitions

Q: To encourage consumers to fill out a survey, we offered entry into a cash prize draw as an incentive if you complete the survey. 5 respondents will each win a certain amount of money. After capturing the respondents details, my systems crashed and I lost all the data, I tried everything I could and there is no way of retrieving that data. What do I do ? I have no way of knowing who completed the survey, so how do I choose five winners. Is this form of incentive permissible?

Q: I will be hosting a car show during the course of next month and would like to find out if the proceeds from this event can go to a sponsorship for a hajj fund for people that have been accepted for hajj this year. The funds raised on this day will come from the entrance fee that each person pays to enter their vehicle. At the end of the show, the participants will receive trophies. Please advise me in this regard.

Q: I recently came across a website (www.justplay.co.za). on this website one can enter competitions by answering questions. the problem is that most questions are relating to insurance companies, etc.

Q: A competition is being run where a certain amount is given as a donation and the donor is entered into a draw for an Umrah ticket and a quad bike. The money is used for a campaign to free a prisoner and the prizes are sponsored by third parties. Is this type of competition permissible?

Q: Is it permissible to use the prizes won from a music competition. The host plays a song and prizes are given for knowing the name of the song, artist, etc. No money is paid to enter the competition.

Q: I am part of a class in which schools gather and the students debate on issues of world problems and how to solve them. We each research a world problem and write papers/speeches for the competition. When the schools gather the host school asks for funds to cover costs. At the end of the competition the host school gives awards to the students who performed the best.

Now there are three things I would like to point out in this competition:

1. The money given to the host is used for food, janitors, and printing costs and as such cannot be waived.

2. The awards are mostly paper certificates and some trophies but all of which have little to no monetary value.

3. I recieve a grade on my performance regardless of if I get an award but some students there do not as it is not a class for them but a club.

Will this amount to gambling?