Refrain From Gambling, Friday Sermon Warns Muslims

Bandar Seri Begawan - Beware of any form of activity that causes financial loss and contains elements of luck or chance, for it is considered to be gambling and therefore haram, according to Islam.

The imams in their Friday sermons yesterday warned Muslims congregating in mosques and prayer halls throughout Brunei against taking part in such sort of activities.

Gambling is considered a crime in Islam, and any financial gain obtained from it is haram and cannot be used. This is especially so in terms of purchasing food or drinks for one's family.

Items that are purchased using harain money or gains are also considered haram, and those who consume it will be punished with the flames of Hell. The imams also noted that it is now much easier to indulge in gambling, even without realising, through the Internet and handphones.

Some activities that contain elements of gambling include Short Message Service (SMS) quiz competitions, riddles, auction and surveys.

These are considered to be gambling because participants are charged a fee for every inclusion or entry they make. In SMS quiz competitions, as an example, participants who answer the questions are charged a fee that is higher than the normal rate for sending SMS.

For instance, the normal rate is five cents, but for the quiz competition they are charged 50 cents.

This set up is similar to lot tery, where every entry is charged through the purchase of a ticket. Whether the entrant wins the lottery or quiz is based on chance, which is another characteristic of gambling.

SMS surveys are similar in which every answer or response to a survey is charged a fee which is substantially higher than the normal rate, the imams emphasised.

SMS auctions too contain elements of gambling. In contrast to normal auctions that are considered harus or not haram in terms of Syariah, where participants can make a bid until the highest offer is made without any fee imposed, SMS auction organisers charge bidders for every offer they make.

In this way, SMS auctions cause the participants to suffer a loss, as they have to pay for every bid they make, although they may not win.

The imams reminded Muslims in the country to refrain from such sinful' activities. Recognising that as humans who are not exempt from making mistakes, they exhorted the congregation through the Friday sermon to repent for their sins and refrain from conducting more wrongdoings.-- Courtesy of Brunei times

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