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Is it permissible to accept a large sum of money ($1,100,000) received via email from a British lottery organization, and is it considered permissible (halal) or forbidden (haram), and is depositing it into a friend's account considered money laundering, bearing in mind the recipient's intention to donate part of it and use it for studies?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The money obtained from the lottery is ill-gotten gain, and the lottery is a prohibited form of gambling (maysir). Allah the Almighty says: "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may succeed." This money must be spent on the welfare of Muslims, such as charitable giving to the poor and needy, building hospitals, and paving roads. If you are poor and your studies benefit Muslims, there is no harm in benefiting from it to the extent that it removes your poverty and allows you to complete your studies. Anything beyond that should be spent on the welfare of Muslims. Placing this money in your friend's account does not change its reality; it remains unlawful before and after.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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