Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

assalamualaikum,

we as a family of 17 people have decided to gather Rs 1000 from everybody every month in order to meet our requirements as it is not possible for us to get a lump sum amount. we have no interest, no profit, no loss in this. it is just to help each other.

in order to be fair and to avoid conflicts we have decided to have chits in each name and one name is taken out from this and the concerned person gets the money rs.17000 and whosoever name comes out they get the money. this is done for 17 months and everybody gets a chance to have their share.

kindly pls help us to know if this is right as we have no intentions of taking intrest or profit which is against islam. my husband says this is not right as we are picking names from the lot, but i convinced him telling that we are just helping each other. pls reply me in the earliest.allahfiz. 

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Answer:

People get together and contribute an amount

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.83 Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim. So he should neither oppress him nor hand him over to an oppressor. And whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother (in the life of this world), Allah will fulfill his needs (in this world and the Hereafter); whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a distress (in the life of this world), Allah will bring him out of the distress of the Day of Resurrection; and whoever screened a Muslim (in the life of this world), Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection."

There is no harm or sin if a group of people get together and contribute an amount and each month one from the group takes the full amount by casting lots and consequently this carries on till all the members of the group have got the full amount (as detailed by you).

In this way there is no riba (interest factor) involved, as this system is to facilitate a person to get a big amount in one go for some expense etc., and he pays back in the number of months on the strength of the group.

The casting of lots per se is not haraam as long as there is no speculation involved, wherein one person gets the full booty and the rest gets nothing. In this system of "chit" everyone will get the same amount albeit some earlier than the other.

In conclusion, We quote the below guidance from the Quran and the Sunnah of prophet (saws) to render trust between the members, doing full justice in drawing lots without being unfair to any one and those members who have received the amount earlier to pay back to the group in time as decided between them which remains a debt on the believers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 188:Do not usurp one another’s property by unjust means,  nor offer it to the judges (as bribe) so that you may devour knowingly and unjustly a portion of the goods of others.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 58:

Allah doth command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due; and when ye judge between man and man that ye judge with justice:  Verily,  how excellent is the teaching which He giveth you!  for Allah is He who heareth and seeth all things.

Abu Hurairah narrated that  the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "A believer's soul remains in suspense (cannot enter Paradise) until all his debts are paid off." 

(Related by Ahmad,  Ibn Majah,  and Tirmidhi.)

Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet (saws)  said: "If anyone takes other people's money with the intention to repay it and then he or she should die without settling the debt, Allah will pay the debt on his behalf.   And if anyone takes money or property (of others) with the intention of destroying it,  Allah will destroy him."

(Related by Bukhari)

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is only ones. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

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