What is the ruling on money gained from winning religious television competitions that require paying a fee to participate, such as competitions that rely on phone calls with specific charges, and what is the ruling on participating in other religious television competitions that offer prizes like Umrah and require sending SMS messages with charges?

Television contests and similar events, if they pertain to beneficial religious or worldly matters, are permissible to organize, participate in, and accept prizes from, provided that the prizes are offered by a donor who does not seek financial gain. However, if the prize provider intends a commercial transaction that yields financial returns for them, such as the cost of a call or message being higher than the usual cost, then it becomes a prohibited form of gambling (qimar). Gambling is that in which one or more parties are not free from either gain or loss, and it is religiously forbidden. Therefore, it is not permissible to pay money to participate in a contest where one might win or lose, and one is sinful in both cases, except for the normal fees for calls or messages.