Maysir

Maysir (Arabic: ميسر, literally 'ease' — referring to obtaining wealth by chance rather than effort) is the Islamic prohibition on gambling, games of chance, and transactions that depend entirely on an uncertain future event for their outcome. Also called Qimar (wagering), Maysir is explicitly prohibited in the Quran (2:219, 5:90-91). In Islamic finance, Maysir restricts: (1) gambling platforms and casino financing (direct prohibition); (2) conventional lottery products; (3) certain derivative instruments — options and futures where one party's gain is entirely the other's loss regardless of underlying value; (4) insurance with speculative elements — where premium payment and claim outcome resemble a bet. The Maysir prohibition is why conventional insurance is impermissible — it resembles a wager on whether a loss event will occur. Takaful resolves this by reframing contributions as mutual donations (Tabarru) to a common fund rather than premiums paid for a speculative contract. IOF screens all investment targets and product structures for Maysir elements as part of its automated Shariah compliance engine.