Ruling on participating in a cultural

(Part No. 15; Page No. 180)  Fatwa no. 17247 Praise be to Allah alone. Peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no Prophet (Prophet Muhammad). The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' has reviewed the query sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufty from His Royal Highness his the prince Mit`ib ibn `Abdullah ibn `Abdul-`Aziz Deputy Commander of the National Guard for Military Affairs, and the supervisor of Al-Furusiyah Magazine. The query no. 2322, dated 2/6/1415 AH was referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars is as follows: The manner of competition: It consists of two questions: The first question requires that a competitor should nominate the horses he expects will win in certain races. Making use of the information and illustrations shown below the question, he gives his expectations based on his knowledge of horses, their quality, breeds and performance of training. As for the second question, it contains many points depending on the general knowledge and awareness of the competitor. Examples of these points include (Part No. 15; Page No. 181) inquiries about the names of the horses owned by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the horses which played a significant role in the Islamic conquests, the occurrences of horses in the Qur'an, some famous horses that take part today in the races, their owners, and the races they won, the Equestrian Club, the history of equestrian and so on. Defining the winner: The correct answer to the second question is a prerequisite to define the winner. The accurate answer to the first question determines the best selection. The one who achieves the best score of the answers to the two questions will be the winner. If the same score is achieved by more than one competitor, we draw lots to select one. We assert again that the answer to the second question is necessary and a prerequisite for making a selection. Other measures for the competition: The competitor should pay nothing for taking part in this competition. Moreover, the participating horses in the races which should be selected and nominated by the competitors and mentioned in the questions have nothing to do with the competition and its prizes (Part No. 15; Page No. 182) and are not assigned to any prizes. Hope this issue is clear and waiting for your reply. May Allah guide us all to what Allah loves and accepts, for truly He is the All Hearer of supplications and is Responsive!