THE DECEPTIVE PATH TO LOSS

 

FAJR REMINDER: THE DECEPTIVE PATH TO LOSS

Rabīʿ Al-Akhīr 12, 1448 AH | 24 September 2026

Among the Ḥarām (unlawful) ways through which people seek money and fortune is gambling.

Today, gambling is no longer confined to betting shops, casinos, horse races, and lottery tickets. It has entered people's phones and computers through online sports betting, live betting, virtual sports, online casinos, slot games, crash and multiplier games, esports betting, digital lotteries, and other apps and platforms that allow people to stake money on uncertain outcomes.

What once required a person to visit a particular place can now be carried in his pocket, available almost at any hour of the day.

Whatever form it takes, gambling is Ḥarām, and whatever wealth is acquired through it is unlawful.

But why would Islām prohibit something that may appear harmless to some people? Why is an activity that seems to offer nothing more than entertainment and a chance to make money forbidden?

The answer is simple:

Allāh has forbidden it, and He rules as He wills.

The believer submits to the Command of his Lord, whether or not he immediately understands every aspect of its wisdom.

Allāh ﷻ warns:

“O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, Al-Anṣāb, and Al-Azlam are an abomination of Shayṭān’s handiwork. So avoid that abomination in order that you may be successful.”

📖 Sūrah Al-Mā’idah 5:90

Notice the connection between avoiding gambling and attaining success.

A person may make money through gambling, but material gain does not make an unlawful act lawful. A person may even become wealthy through it, yet that wealth does not erase the prohibition or the harm associated with the act.

Indeed, whatever apparent material benefit gambling may seem to offer is outweighed by the harm it can cause to individuals, families, and society.

The believer therefore does not measure success merely by how much money enters his hands.

True success is obedience to Allāh and protection from what He has forbidden.

Gambling must therefore be strictly avoided by anyone who seeks true success. It is from the handiwork of Shayṭān.

With regard to the wisdom behind its prohibition, there are numerous harms, including the following:

1️⃣ IT CREATES FALSE HOPE

Gambling teaches people to depend on chance, luck, and wishful thinking for wealth instead of making lawful efforts, working honestly, and pursuing the legitimate means Allāh has provided for earning a living.

It creates the illusion that fortune can suddenly fall into one's hands without productive effort. The gambler waits for luck while neglecting the lawful means through which people build their livelihoods.

2️⃣ IT CAN DESTROY FAMILIES AND CAUSE FINANCIAL RUIN

Gambling can consume savings, destroy businesses, create enormous debts, and turn financial stability into misery.

What begins as “just a little” can gradually become a destructive habit in which the gambler continues playing, hoping to recover what has already been lost—only to lose even more.

3️⃣ IT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS

The anxiety of losing money, the desperation to recover losses, and the constant anticipation of the next outcome can place enormous pressure on a person.

Problem gambling can be associated with severe psychological distress, including suicidal thoughts or behaviour, as well as other serious health and social problems.

4️⃣ IT FUELS GREED AND WEAKENS CONTENTMENT

The gambler becomes increasingly consumed by the desire to win more.

Instead of being grateful for what Allāh has provided and seeking lawful means of increasing one's wealth, he may become trapped in the endless pursuit of another win.

5️⃣ IT CREATES ENMITY, HATRED, AND CONFLICT

Gambling involves people consuming one another's wealth unlawfully. One person's gain is often another person's loss.

So, will the one who loses genuinely be happy with the one who wins?

Allāh ﷻ says:

“Shayṭān only wants to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allāh and from Ṣalāh. So, will you not then abstain?”

📖 Sūrah Al-Mā’idah 5:91

What a powerful warning!

Gambling is not merely about money changing hands. It can plant hatred between people, damage relationships, and turn those who were once friends into enemies.

6️⃣ IT CAN TURN PEOPLE AWAY FROM THE REMEMBRANCE OF ALLĀH AND ṢALĀH

The gambler can become so preoccupied with the game, the next bet, the possibility of winning, and the desire to recover losses that the remembrance of Allāh and Ṣalāh become secondary.

It can also expose a person to attitudes and habits that are inconsistent with the character of a believer.

7️⃣ IT WASTES TIME AND ENCOURAGES IDLENESS

Gambling can consume valuable hours that could instead be spent working, learning, building families, helping others, worshipping Allāh, or contributing meaningfully to society.

A person may spend hours sitting and waiting for luck to change his life instead of pursuing productive and lawful means of earning a living.

8️⃣ IT CAN PUSH DESPERATE PEOPLE TOWARDS OTHER SINS

When a gambler loses repeatedly and becomes desperate to recover his money, he may begin looking for other ways to obtain wealth.

For some people, this desperation can contribute to theft, fraud, bribery, cheating, or taking people's property unlawfully.

One unlawful pursuit can therefore open the door to another until a person finds himself surrounded by sins he never imagined committing.

9️⃣ IT CAN EXPOSE PEOPLE TO OTHER DESTRUCTIVE ENVIRONMENTS

Some gambling environments can expose people to other sinful and harmful behaviours, including alcohol, smoking, drugs, and other forms of immorality.

Behind the excitement can be an atmosphere of rivalry, deception, and competition, where each person hopes to profit from another person's loss.

Even the person who wins may eventually lose those winnings by continuing to gamble, while the loser may walk away with regret, humiliation, and the desire to return and try again.

SO, WILL YOU NOT ABSTAIN?

If you are involved in gambling or have fallen into it, stop immediately and repent to Allāh without delay.

Cut it off.

Stay away from people who encourage you to gamble. Stay away from gambling venues, machines, websites, and apps.

Do not deceive yourself into thinking, “I can control it,” or “I will stop after one final game.”

The door of repentance is open, so return to Allāh before the habit becomes even more deeply rooted.

Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:

“And whoever says to his companion, ‘Come, let us gamble,’ let him give charity.”

📚 Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6107

This shows the seriousness with which Islām treats gambling. Even encouraging another person to gamble is something from which a Muslim should keep his tongue and heart away.

Islām prohibits what corrupts the mind, wastes wealth, and harms individuals and society.

True freedom is not following every desire. True freedom is protecting yourself from what destroys you.

Therefore, do not allow Shayṭān to beautify gambling in your eyes.

Do not let the possibility of winning blind you to the reality of what you are risking.

Wealth gained through Ḥarām brings no true blessing.

The believer's goal is not merely to become wealthy.

The believer's goal is to attain the Pleasure of Allāh ﷻ.

I beseech Allāh ﷻ to protect us from gambling, every form of unlawful wealth, and the traps of Shayṭān.

May He grant us contentment with what is Ḥalāl, bless our lawful earnings, protect our families from financial destruction, and count us among those who attain true success.

Aameen. 🤲🏽