Is It Permissible to Toss a Coin to Make a Decision?
Question: Is tossing permissible? We toss if it’s heads we will go to this specific restaurant and if it’s tails we will go to this specific restaurant etc. Is this allowed?
Summary:
Tossing a coin to make a decision can take different forms, and it is not correct to declare it permissible or prohibited in all cases without distinguishing the intended purpose. - If the purpose is merely to draw lots between two equally permissible options, such as choosing between two restaurants, without believing that the outcome reveals good or evil, then this is permissible in principle. - However, if the coin is used to seek guidance or to determine whether a person should proceed with something or refrain from it, some scholars have classified this as the prohibited practice of seeking decisions through divining arrows (istiqsam bil-azlam). - If a person believes that landing on heads is a sign of good and landing on tails is a sign of evil, this constitutes prohibited superstition (tiyarah). - The prescribed Istikharah differs from all of these, because it involves seeking Allah's guidance through prayer and supplication, not by tossing a coin. It is therefore necessary to distinguish between drawing lots, Istikharah, seeking decisions through divining arrows, and superstition. The Difference Between These Four Matters: 1. Drawing Lots (Qur\`ah) Meaning: Random selection to settle rights or equally valid options. Ruling: Prescribed in its appropriate circumstances. 2. Istikharah Meaning: Seeking Allah's guidance through supplication and prayer. Ruling: Sunnah. 3. Seeking Decisions by Divining Arrows (Istiqsam bil-azlam) Meaning: Using a means to determine whether to proceed with something or refrain from it. Ruling: Prohibited. 4. Superstition (Tiyarah) Meaning: Taking something as a bad omen making it a reason to proceed or refrain. Ruling: Prohibited.
Answer:
Firstly: Prescribed Drawing of Lots
Drawing lots is a means of deciding between people or equally valid options when there is no factor that gives preference to one over the other, without believing that the outcome reveals the unseen or indicates what Allah loves.
From the Qur'an:
- [Surah Aal Imran 3:44]
"And you were not with them when they cast their pens as to which of them should be responsible for Maryam
And Allah, the Most High, says concerning the story of Yunus عليه السلام:
- [Surah As-Saffat 37:141]
"Then he drew lots and was among the losers."
Meaning: He participated in drawing lots and was among those upon whom the lot fell.
From the Sunnah:
- Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.Aishah رضي الله عنها narrated:
"Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ intended to travel, he would draw lots among his wives, and whichever one's lot was drawn, he would take her with him."
An example of this: Two men wish to go to different restaurants. One wants to go to the first restaurant, while the other wants to go to the second. They agree to draw lots to settle the matter between them. This is a drawing of lots that is not intended to discover the unseen, but rather to decide between two choices. It is one of the forms of permissible random selection according to those who permit drawing lots in such circumstances. The Kuwaiti Fiqh Encyclopedia (Vol. 4, p. 81) distinguishes between drawing lots to determine rights and seeking decisions through divining arrows to obtain knowledge of the unseen. Prescribed drawing of lots is a means of resolving uncertainty or ending disputes, and it is not a form of gambling or seeking decisions through divining arrows.
Secondly: The Prescribed Istikharah Istikharah is seeking Allah's guidance regarding permissible and prescribed matters about which a person is uncertain
From the Sunnah:
- Narrated by Al-Bukhari.Jabir bin Abdullah رضي الله عنهما narrated:
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to teach us Istikharah in all matters, just as he would teach us a surah from the Quran."
Among his supplications ﷺ was: "O Allah, I seek Your guidance through Your knowledge, and I seek ability through Your power." اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ
A contemporary example: A man wishes to marry, travel, or enter into a business venture, but he does not know whether it will be good for him. He prays two rak'ahs other than the obligatory prayer, then makes the supplication of Istikharah. Istikharah does not require seeing a dream or the appearance of a particular sign. Rather, the servant places his trust in Allah and takes the prescribed means. The difference is that the person performing Istikharah asks Allah to choose what is best for him, whereas the outcome of tossing a coin does not constitute the prescribed Istikharah. Thirdly: The Prohibited Practice of Seeking Decisions Through Divining Arrows (Istiqsam bil-azlam)
From the Qur'an:
- [Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:3]
"And that you seek decisions through divining arrows. That is disobedience."
The people of Jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic period of ignorance) used arrows, some of which had inscriptions indicating that they should proceed with an action, while others indicated that they should refrain from it. Whenever one of them intended to travel, engage in trade, or undertake something else, he would seek a decision through these arrows. The prohibited practice of seeking decisions through divining arrows is not limited to the arrows known among the people of Jahiliyyah. Rather, it may also occur through other means that serve the same purpose. An example of this: A man says, "If the coin lands on heads, I will travel, and if it lands on tails, I will not travel." He then makes the result of the coin toss the deciding factor in whether to proceed or refrain.
From the Scholars:
- Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen رحمه الله said in his Tafsir of Surah Al-Ma'idah (Vol. 1, p. 48), after giving an example of two friends using a coin to determine whether they should go somewhere or not:
"As for drawing lots, it is done concerning rights, not concerning intentions, proceeding, or refraining."
- The Shaykh رحمه الله was also asked about using coins as a means of drawing lots without believing that they bring benefit or harm. He replied:
"This is not permissible, because drawing lots is only done concerning rights, not concerning intentions or whether to proceed or refrain. This is undoubtedly seeking decisions through divining arrows."
Important note: The Shaykh's statement indicates that merely not believing that the coin brings benefit or harm does not make every form of tossing a coin permissible. Rather, he distinguished between drawing lots concerning rights and using them as a means of deciding whether to proceed or refrain.
Fourthly: Prohibited Superstition (Tiyarah) Tiyarah refers to taking something seen, heard, or otherwise encountered as a bad omen, such that a person makes it a reason to abandon an action or proceed with it without any valid religious or tangible cause.
From the Sunnah:
- Narrated by Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi, and authenticated by Al-Albani رحمه الله.Abdullah bin Mas'ud رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Tiyarah is shirk. Tiyarah is shirk."
An example of this: A man wishes to go to a restaurant, so he tosses a coin. If it lands on heads, he believes this is a sign of goodness and blessing, and if it lands on tails, he believes this is a sign of misfortune. This is a form of prohibited Tiyarah because he has made something that does not indicate good or evil into a sign of them. Thus, this is prohibited Tiyarah because he has treated something that has no connection to good or evil as an indication of them. The difference between Tiyarah and seeking decisions through divining arrows: Tiyarah involves regarding something as a bad omen, and the sign may occur without the person intending it. As for seeking decisions through divining arrows, the person deliberately establishes a means by which to determine whether to proceed or refrain. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen رحمه الله explained this distinction in his Tafsir of Surah Al-Ma'idah (Vol. 1, p. 48).
Fifthly: Statements of the Scholars Regarding This Matter
From the Scholars:
- 1. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله
He mentioned that the people of Jahiliyyah used arrows, pebbles, and similar objects to determine whether they should proceed with something or abandon it. He explained that what is prescribed instead is to seek Allah's guidance through Istikharah, consult other people, and take the prescribed means. [Majmu al-Fatawa.]
- 2. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen رحمه الله
He explicitly stated that drawing lots is used concerning rights, not concerning intentions or decisions to proceed or refrain. He ruled that using a coin in the manner mentioned is prohibited, even if the person does not believe that the coin brings benefit or harm.
- 3. Fatwa from the Islam Question and Answer website
Fatwa No. 488669 addresses almost the exact same example involving a coin and food. It distinguishes between drawing lots to choose between two people or two things and using the coin to determine what is better for a person. The fatwa permits drawing lots in their appropriate circumstances but prohibits using them as a means of determining what is good, what is more suitable, or what Allah loves for His servant.
- 4. Fatwa No. 450259 from the Islamweb website
This fatwa discusses a person who uses a coin to make personal decisions, such as choosing where to go or what food to eat, and makes the result of the toss the deciding factor in whether to proceed or refrain. The website ruled that this practice is prohibited, classified it as seeking decisions through divining arrows, and directed the person toward the prescribed Istikharah.
Conclusion: The distinction between these four matters is that drawing lots is a means of selecting one of those who have a right or deciding between options in circumstances where drawing lots is valid. Istikharah is seeking Allah's guidance in choosing what is best. Seeking decisions through divining arrows involves using an impermissible means to determine whether to proceed or refrain, or to seek knowledge of what is good. Tiyarah involves regarding something as a bad omen when it is not valid to treat it as a cause or indication of good or evil. As for the specific situation mentioned by the questioner: If two people disagree about which of two restaurants to choose and agree to draw lots to settle the matter amicably, without seeking to discover which option is better, this is a form that some scholars have permitted. However, if the purpose is to use the coin landing on heads or tails as a means of making a decision when uncertain and determining what one should do, then this falls under seeking decisions through divining arrows, according to what Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen رحمه الله established. A coin should not be used as a substitute for the prescribed Istikharah. Rather, when a Muslim is uncertain about a matter, it is prescribed for him to seek Allah's guidance through Istikharah, consult those who have experience, consider the benefits and harms, and then proceed while placing his trust in Allah.
And Allah knows best.
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