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Chess
is a very popular game, and
the opinion of jurists
concerning it varies. Some
scholars consider it halal
(permissible), others
consider it makruh
(reprehensible), and still
others consider it haram
(unlawful).
Those
who consider it haram
cite some hadiths in support
of their view, but
researchers have proved that
chess did not appear until
after the death of the
Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him). Thus all such
hadiths must have been
fabricated.
The
Companions of the Prophet
(may Allah be pleased with
them all) themselves held
different views about
playing chess. Ibn `Umar
(may Allah be pleased with
him) said that it is worse
than backgammon and `Ali
(may Allah be pleased with
him) regarded it as gambling
(perhaps meaning when it is
played for money), while
some others merely expressed
disapproval of it.
However,
some Companions and some of
the second generation of
scholars allowed it. Among
those were Ibn `Abbas, Abu
Hurayrah, Ibn Sirin, Hisham
bin `Umrah, and Sa`id ibn
Al-Musayyib. We agree with
those great jurists, since
the original principle is
the permissibility of acts
and no text is to be found
prohibiting it.
Moreover,
in addition to being a game
and a recreation, chess is
also a mental exercise which
requires thought and
planning. In this respect,
it is the opposite of
backgammon, for while
backgammon is a game of
chance and therefore
comparable to divining with
arrows, chess is a game of
skill and strategy, which
may be compared to archery.
However,
playing chess is permissible
only if the following
conditions are met:
1- One
should not get so absorbed
in it that he delays his
prayer; chess is well-known
to be a stealer of time.
2-
There should be no gambling
involved.
3- The
players should not utter
obscenities or vulgarities.
If any
of these conditions are not
met it should be considered
as haram.
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