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Q & A --> Lawful and Unlawful Categories --> Ruling on Playing Cards and “Fuzball”, and, the Ruling of Playing Uno, Monopoly, and Pokeman Games

Question : A question was asked regarding [the validity of] playing cards, fuzball, Uno and Monopoly.

Fatwa in Brief: These games are not permitted. They make a person so busy that s/he forgets to remember God and to perform his/her prayers. Also, they often contribute to enmity and hatred, as well as wasting one’s time.

The Permanent Committee, 238/15

Response:

There is no authoritative text that explicitly mentions, and prohibits, these games. In Islamic law, if there is no text that prohibits something then that thing is permitted; this is the case providing that it is not harmful, and that it is not used as a means of causing harm.

Commentary:

It is not permitted to play something if it leads to gambling drinking alcohol, obscenity, or causes one to neglect his/her prayer, or harms him/her in any way.

According to al-Shafii, the rule for games such as this – though not for those of pure chance, such as dice – is that they are permitted. For they encourage a person to calculate, and thus may lead to the sharpening of his/her thought processes; though [as mentioned] there is no specific [authoritative] text in this matter.

Regarding the difference between games of skill [permitted] and those of chance [prohibited], the ruling was arrived at by means of qiyas (juristic reasoning). There is no game using dice that is not based on chance; and this is similar to the ways in which people used to cast lots in pre-Islamic times. By contrast, the games that depend on skill and intelligence, like chess, are permitted [and do not resemble those belonging to pre-Islamic times].

In this matter, the ruling of the Zahiris is different. This school of law claims that anything that is not explicitly prohibited by any [authoritative] text is halal. They base their ruling on the following verses:

“He it is who created everything in the earth for you”. (Q. 2:29)

“He has explained unto you that which is forbiddeth unto you”. (Q. 6:119)

If no text supports the prohibition of something, it is legally permitted (halal). This is the opinion of Muhammad Rashid Rida who argues that, providing they do not cause harm, none of these games should be prohibited. His ruling is based on the reasoning that, if something is prohibited, this is because it is likely to damage a person’s religion, body, mind, honor, or wealth. On the other hand, anything that does not cause harm, and is not singled out by a specific text, is not forbidden (haram). With regards to games and amusement, some Shafi‘i scholars argued that: “If wealth is safe from loss, and the tongue is not engaged in vain talk, and that a person does not neglect their prayers, and that this amusement involves two friends, it may not be described as prohibited.[1]

At the same time, however, there is no doubt that becoming engrossed in something and, thus, using it excessively is disliked according to Islam.

The response to those who say that such games should be banned because they contain images, or because they distract from the remembrance of God, or because they cause enmity and hatred, is the same as in the previous fatwa on chess.

And God knows best.

If the games do not have these prohibitions, then it is permitted to play them. However, one should make sure that children are aware of praying at the correct times [and thus do not lose themselves in their games at these times].

The following are some of the more dangerous games [that children can play]:

-       Games that include wars with the good of the earthlings and bad aliens from outer space because they imply that the heavenly realms are evil.

-       Games that glorify the cross [and Christianity] and attribute it powers, which promote cultic practices.

-       Games that promote magic.

-       Games that degrade Islam and Muslims and show respect for others.

-       Games that promote gambling.

-       Games that harm the body, the eyes, and the nervous system.

-       Games that promote violence, crime and which make killing appear as if it were a normal act. Such games destroy the soul at a young age.

-       Games that corrupt the meaning of reality for the child by bringing him up in a world of excessive imagination. Her, the child is faced with the idea that returning after death is impossible; while, in this life, humans are granted extraordinary powers, or creatures from space arrive, and so on.

The legal result of this is that children are only permitted to play those games that are of an educational benefit. With such games, there is no harm. On the other hand, if it is necessary, these games should not be allowed to be played. And God knows best.[2]

Dr. Anas Abu Shadi


[1] Asna al-Matalib 4/344.

[2] From the book Fatawa al-Islam Q&A, Shaykh Muhammad Salah al-Munajid. Part I, pg 3008, Q.2898 (competitions in the Islamic Shar‘ia) by Dr. Sa‘d Ashthri.