His Eminence Al-Sayyid Al-Hakeem meets with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

His Eminence Al-Sayyid Al-Hakeem meets with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
2020/02/19

His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Saeed Al-Hakeem, on 15 February 2020, received representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN in Iraq, Dr. Salah Al-Haaj Hasan and his team.

Dr. Salah Al-Haaj Hasan presented a report on the projects undertaken by FAO, consisting of ways in which agriculture can be improved in rural and semi-urban areas in Iraq, in order to ensure food provision for Iraq and a decent life for farmers.

Day Questions

Can I open a non-interest bank account, where monthly prize draws will also take place, based on the amount of money in the account?

If the contract of opening the bank account does not include this as a condition, then it is permissible to open it and claim the prize.

There is a national lottery held in our country, run by a company. Tickets are sold for a very low price, and the winners receive prizes. The company also gives some of their income in the sale of the tickets to certain charitable projects. Is a Muslim permitted to purchase such a ticket with the intention of winning the prize, and if he intends to give a part of the prize to an Islamic charity project?

Apparently the said transaction is permissible, and it is not considered to be prohibited gambling. The deal here is merely selling a ticket for a low price with the condition that if the chosen numbers match the company's randomly selected numbers the participant wins the prize. One becomes deserving of the prize due to fulfilling a condition included in the sale deal, so it is permissible to claim the prize. It is not obligatory to spend the money in the way intended, although it is better to do so.

I want to go to Karbala for Ziyara, for which I saved up for, but there is an amount of Khums that I am due to pay. If I pay that, I do not have enough to go for Ziyara. Can I still go for Ziyara without paying the Khums?

You should pay the khums first, as paying the khums is an obligatory duty and going for Ziyara is not. You can recite the Ziyara from where you are, and you shall be rewarded for it a great reward. Bear in mind that paying the khums is one of the causes of blessing in one’s income.