have a horse; I challenge you. So they race, one riding a donkey and the other a horse. This is permissible when no prize is involved.

Question: Is competition in the Islamic sciences permissible?

If these are Islamic sciences, or disciplines that assist in jihad, such as military industries, the established school holds that competition for prizes in them is not permissible, on the basis of the hadith. The stronger view, however—and this was the view chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him—is that it is permissible. This is because the religion of Islam was established through the sword, knowledge, and calling to Allah. Therefore, if wagering is permissible in swordsmanship and similar pursuits, it is likewise permissible in that which serves it, namely knowledge.

This general ruling should, however, be restricted to cases where a person’s aim is not merely to obtain money rather than to arrive at the correct Islamic ruling. In such a case, it ought to be prohibited. Yet it may also be said that it should not be prohibited, for some scholars said: “We sought knowledge for other than Allah, but it refused to be for anything but Allah.”

His statement, “It”—that is, the competition—“is a ju'alah which either party may rescind,” means that it is not a binding contract; rather, it is a non-binding contract. It therefore resembles a ju'alah.

A ju'alah is for a person to stipulate a specified reward for whoever performs a specified task for him, such as saying: “Whoever returns my lost property will receive one thousand riyals.” The prize falls under this category.

His statement, “either party”—that is, either of the competitors—“may rescind it,” is subject to the condition that neither of them has gained a clear advantage. If one of them has gained a clear advantage, the other is not permitted to rescind it, lest this lead to manipulation. For example, if the required accuracy is nine out of ten, and his opponent