| Answer: Answer: This amounts to
gambling. One of the arguments in favour of raffle tickets is that the
scheme is widely used for philanthropic causes. It must be borne in mind
that gambling in the Qur’ānic times in Arabia was no exception. In fact,
owing to its philanthropic aspect, gambling was considered a boon rather
than a bane. The rich would indulge in drinking and gambling and would give
whatever they won to the poor. Indeed, the abstainer was regarded as
niggardly. However, the Qur’ān very clearly pointed out that the moral
corruption that ensues from such activities is greater them whatever benefit
they provide:
They ask you about gambling
and drinking. Say: There is great sin in both and also some benefit for
people, but their sin is greater than their benefit. (2:219)
Of this moral corruption, one
aspect particularly worth mentioning is that these so-called philanthropic
schemes develop the attitude of selfishness and indifference. In an Islamic
society, infāq, or spending in the way of Allah, is a basic value. The
destitute, therefore, are the direct responsibility of the society and their
problems cannot be left to the mere adjustments of demand and supply as in
the laisser fair concept. It should be impossible for a Muslim to sleep with
the peace of mind, if he finds out that a neighbour had not been able to eat
at night owing to poverty. Destitution, poverty, misery and disease should
be sufficient enough as reasons for impelling a Muslim to spend whatever he
can spare. ‘Spend in the way of Allah that ye may be rewarded in the
Hereafter’. ‘Spend in the way of Allah that ye may enter the Kingdom of
Heaven’. Such adages used to be the underlying reason for infaaq. But
whatever is this: ‘Spend in the way of Allah that ye may get a refrigerator
(or a deep-freezer or a VCR)’? and ‘Spend in the way of Allah that ye may
win tickets to Madame Noor Jehaan’s concert’?
Millions are spent merely on
organizing these ‘philanthropic’ schemes – millions that could be directly
spent on the poor – and thousands are spent by the gentry on the apparel
they need for just one such occasion. It is the height of indifference,
prodigality and selfishness that a person who can afford to spend thousands
on buying tickets to the concert and thousands on new clothes for the
function is not motivated to spend in the way of Allah by the misery of a
fellow human being and by the reward in the Hereafter. The mere knowledge
that a human being is in need of what a Muslim can spare should give the
Muslim sleepless nights. Yet there are Muslims who can spare millions but do
not take out a penny unless they are certain of a news items and a
photograph lauding their altruism. Would that they were able to appreciate
what Jesus (sws) had said:
Be careful not to do your
‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will
have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do
not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on
the streets, to be honoured by men. I tell you the truth, they have received
their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left
hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your give may be in secret.
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt,
6:1-4)
The Qur’ān says:
O you who believe! do not mar
your almsgiving by reminders of your generosity and by hurting the feelings
[of the one you had helped], like the one who spends his wealth to be seen
of men but believes neither in Allah nor the Final Day. (2:264)
And:
And if you allow them to be
revealed when you do your alms, that too is good; but if you conceal them
and make them reach the poor in secret, that is best for you. And Allah
remains well aware of what you do. (2:271)
When a concert or a
refrigerator not the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ becomes the reason for charity, it
means that the whole foundation of moral values, which are so essential to
an Islamic society, has been impaired to the extent that the edifice that
rests on it may collapse in the wake of the mildest of storms.
The raison d’etre for charity
should be concern for others and the reward in the Hereafter not Madame Noor
Jehaan’s concert or a refrigerator. Loss of values means the death of
society. Loss of the spirit of infāq – a basic value in an Islamic society –
means the death of Islamic society. That must never be.
Those who spend of their
wealth [in charity] by night and by day, in secret and in public have their
reward with their Lord. For them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.
(2:274) |