What is the ruling on preparing a religious competition for women where the answers are derived from an audio tape and a booklet? And what is the ruling on distributing the tapes and booklets for free, or by requesting participants to purchase them?

If the competition encourages the pursuit of knowledge, understanding of Sharia rulings, or revision of the Quran and Hadith, then there is no harm for the participant to spend money to acquire its necessities. The general rule is that it is not permissible to offer a prize in competitions except for what is explicitly mentioned in the prophetic text: "There is no prize except in archery, camel racing, or horse racing." Some scholars have analogized to this what aids in Jihad and supporting the religion, such as religious and jurisprudential competitions, and competitions for memorizing the Quran and the Sunnah, making it permissible to offer a prize in them from one of the parties, or from both of them, or from a third party. Ibn al-Qayyim preferred the permissibility of competitions with a prize for memorizing the Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, and other beneficial sciences, because they are more deserving of permissibility than competitions involving instruments of Jihad, for religion is established by argument and Jihad.