Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (13/174)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

The second is Allah’s statement: “You were not with them when they cast their pens to decide which of them should take charge of Mary, nor were you with them when they disputed.” [Al ‘Imran: 44]

As for the sunnah, drawing lots is reported in six instances, among them: a man emancipated six slaves, so the Prophet ﷺ divided them into three groups and drew lots among them, such that only one-third would be emancipated. (1)

Another is that whenever the Prophet ﷺ wished to travel, he would draw lots among his wives, and whichever of them had her lot drawn would travel with him. (2)

As for rational evidence that drawing lots is a legal ruling, it is because we have no means of distinguishing between two equal matters except by this method.

Some scholars rejected drawing lots, saying that it is a form of gambling and akin to seeking decisions through divining arrows. But this view is refuted, both because it contradicts the textual evidence and because it is intrinsically invalid. As for its contradiction of the textual evidence, we have already mentioned what occurs in the Quran and the sunnah affirming the legitimacy of drawing lots. As for its intrinsic invalidity, this is not gambling, for we draw lots only between two equal things, whereas gambling is not between equal things. Yes, if we were to say: “You are two men who jointly own this right equally, but we shall divide it into two-thirds and one-third and draw lots between you,” that would not be permissible, because it is gambling: if the lot fell to the owner of the one-third share, he would lose; and if it fell to

(1) Narrated by Muslim in the Book of Vows, chapter: “Whoever emancipates his share in a slave” (1668), on the authority of Imran ibn Husayn. (2) Narrated by al-Bukhari in the Book of Marriage, chapter: “Casting lots among one's wives when intending to travel” (5211), and by Muslim in the Book of Virtues, chapter: “The Virtues of Aishah, the Mother of the Believers” (2445), on the authority of Aishah.

الثاني: قوله تعالى: ﴿وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يُلْقُونَ أَقْلَامَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ يَكْفُلُ مَرْيَمَ وَمَا كُنْتَ لَدَيْهِمْ إِذْ يَخْتَصِمُونَ﴾ [آل عمران: ٤٤]. أما في السنة فقد وردت في ستة مواضع منها: أن رجلاً أعتق ستة أعبد، فجزَّأهم النبي ﷺ ثلاثة أجزاء، وأقرع بينهم ليخرج الثلث فقط (١). ومنها: أن النبي ﷺ كان إذا أراد سفراً أقرع بين نسائه فأيتهن خرج سهمها خرج بها (٢). أما دلالة النظر على أن القرعة حكم شرعي فلأنه لا طريق لنا إلى التمييز بين متساويين إلا بهذا. وأنكر بعض أهل العلم القرعة، وقال: إن القرعة من الميسر وأنها مثل الاستقسام بالأزلام، ولكن هذا القول مردود لمخالفته النص، ولبطلانه بذاته، أما مخالفته للنص فقد ذكرنا ما جاء في الكتاب والسنة من إثبات للقرعة، وأما بطلانه بذاته فإن هذا ليس من الميسر؛ لأننا لا نقرع إلا بين شيئين متساويين، والميسر ليس بين متساويين، نعم لو قلنا: أنتما رجلان بينكما هذا الحق مشتركاً مناصفة، ولكن سنجعله ثلثين وثلثاً ونقرع بينكما فلا يجوز؛ لأنه ميسر، إن وقعت على صاحب الثلث غُلب، وإن وقعت على

(١) أخرجه مسلم في النذر/ باب من أعتق شركاً له في عبد (١٦٦٨) عن عمران بن حصين ﵁. (٢) أخرجه البخاري في النكاح/ باب القرعة بين النساء إذا أراد سفراً (٥٢١١)، ومسلم في الفضائل/ باب فضائل عائشة أم المؤمنين ﵂ (٢٤٤٥) عن عائشة ﵂.