What is the ruling on camel racing, and what is the ruling on exorbitant spending on camels and its consequences, such as falling into usurious debts and neglecting children, and what is the ruling on other competitions like beauty contests for goats and sheep where their ears are cut off?

It is permissible to offer prizes in competitions involving horses and camels if the prize comes from the Imam (leader) or if there is an arbiter (muhallil) between the competitors. However, competitions involving animals not suitable for warfare, such as cattle and rams, or games like chess, are not permissible with prizes. The wisdom behind allowing competitions involving horses and camels is to prepare souls for jihad in the way of Allah. This is supported by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "There is no prize except in a hoof (horse), an arrow (archery), or a camel."

If horse and camel races devolve into squandering wealth and wasting time, they deviate from their legitimate Islamic objective, because Islam commanded the preservation of wealth and its expenditure in permissible ways. As for beauty competitions for goats and sheep, it is not permissible to take or give prizes for them, as they are vain amusement with no benefit.