and he even strips him of it completely (1) if the muhallil outpaces him and thus the competitor still outstrips his own rival, yet must forfeit his stake. In the end he gains nothing from having beaten his peer but the loss of his money. Such is the “blessing” brought by the muhallil: were it not for him, the winner’s eye would be soothed by his triumph, his soul would exult in it (2), and his zeal for this competition—one loved by God and His Messenger—would only grow stronger.

Exactly the same happens to his counterpart. The two who put up the stakes and actually race shoulder the whole liability of this contract, while the borrowed intruder takes the profit. He remains cool-hearted while they gnaw their fingers in anger. In this arrangement he either comes out ahead or at least escapes harm, though he has put forth nothing; each of them, however, either profits (3) or is harmed—and even when one of them gains, the muhallil stands ready to sour that gain, despite the fact that both of them have staked their wealth!

Thus you have loaded the two stakers with every kind of evil, harm, and exploitation, while delivering the borrowed participant (4)—an interloper in their contest and never the intended party—from all of it, although he has contributed nothing (5).

They ask: Would any revealed law ever sanction the like of this?! Could a Sharia whose wisdom has dazzled human intellects contain anything of the sort?!