Chess haraam?

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Darth Ultor

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I know there's a topic for this somewhere but I can't find it on the first two pages of any board. I came across this subject again on another site. How can chess be haraam? It's not a game of chance, it's a game of strategy. Every move you make requires you to think logically about what your opponent will do next. Card games, craps, roulette, and even board games for kids that require dice are games of chance but not chess. I mean, if chess is a gamble then so is play sports which are also strategy and skill games rather than chance games.
 
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There is a risk that the player of chess becomes so absorbed in this game that he has no care or concern for anything else. Many great muslim scholars have unfortunately prohibited it due to the risk of too much absorption in the game.

The prophet
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said:
He who plays Backgammon has disobeyed Allah Ta’ala and His (Rasool)
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Allah knows best
 
But chess is not backgammon. I think God would want people to do things that make them think logically as long as it doesn't interfere with or contradict religious duties.
 
Darth Ultor said:
But chess is not backgammon. I think God would want people to do things that make them think logically as long as it doesn't interfere with or contradict religious duties.
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Chess and backgammon are both board games which rely on strategy. There are a lot of similarities between them.

Honestly, I do not think it makes any sense of prohibiting it BUT I could see why. Everything has advantages and disadvantages, if the bad things weigh up more than the good things then it is prohibited(alcohol has advantages, but the disadvantages weigh up way more than the good things) and if it vice versa then it is permissble.

Allah knows best

 
Chess started to exist in period of Salaf, after Rasulullah (saw) passed away. The Salaf themselves were not in single opinion about chess. Ibnu Umar regard chess is same like backgammon, it's means haram. Ali said chess is haram because it's same like gambling. But according to Ibnu Abbas, Abu Hurairah, Ibnu Sirin, Hisyam bin ‘Urwah, Said bin Musayyib and Said bin Jubair, chess is mubah, or permissible (because this is different than backgammon)

Opinion from madhab Imam.

According to Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, and Imam Ahmad, chess is haram. But according to Imam Shafi'i, chess is makruh, it's means permissible but it's better to be avoided.


PS: I don't like chess. For me, it's a boring game.
 
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I just read in a book on fake hadith that Prophet pbuh did not say anything on chess. Those hadith are fabricated or weak according to Allama Myselly ( not sure about spelling). Shahabas has diffrent opinions about the game that does not involve physical activities .

And Allah Knows Best.
 

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