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-Shafi‘i,
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.