Question:
Asalamu alaykum, I recently received a scholarship from Alberta Golf Foundation to assist me in paying my university tuition. In the congratulations email they explicitly mention that “The scholarships we provide each year are funded in part from our participation in working the Starlight Casino – West Edmonton Mall for a couple of days every 2 years.” My question is: Is it permissible to use the money from this scholarship to pay my tuition as it is funded in part from a casino?
Answer:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds; and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and companions.
It is well-known that gambling is prohibited in Islam, and money earned through it is unlawful for the one who engages in it. However, in the principles of jurisprudence, wealth is not impure in and of itself unless the thing is haram li-dhatihi (forbidden in essence, like alcohol or pork). Money from gambling is haram li-ghayrihi (forbidden because of the way it was earned). In this case, the sin is attached to the earner, not the money itself.
Therefore, if such money passes into another person’s hand through a lawful transfer — such as a scholarship, grant, or gift — the recipient is not held accountable for the way it was originally earned. The Prophet (peace be upon him) himself accepted gifts and food from people whose wealth was not entirely pure, which shows that the prohibition concerns the act of earning, not the money after it lawfully changes ownership.
Based on this, there is no harm in accepting and using the scholarship you mentioned to cover your tuition, even if part of its funding comes from a casino. You are not participating in or promoting the gambling, and the sin rests only with those who acquired the money through unlawful means.
Allah knows best.