54. Betting and similar pastimes
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1259No grade recorded
أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُقَالُ أَيْنَ أَيْسَارُ الْجَزُورِ؟ فَيَجْتَمِعُ الْعَشَرَةُ فَيَشْتَرُونَ الْجَزُورَ بِعَشَرَةِ فِصْلاَنٍ إِلَى الْفِصَالِ فَيُجِيلُونَ السِّهَامَ فَتَصِيرُ لَتِسْعَةٍ حَتَّى تَصِيرَ إِلَى وَاحِدٍ وَيَغْرَمُ الْآخَرُونَ فَصِيلاً فَصِيلاً إِلَى الْفِصَالِ فَهُوَ الْمَيْسِرُ
✧ It used to be said, “Where are the gamblers of the slaughtered camel?” Ten would gather and buy the camel for ten young camels to weaning age, then they would draw arrows, and it fell to nine until it came to one, and the others paid one young camel each to weaning age. That is maysir.
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1260No grade recorded
الْمَيْسِرُ الْقِمَارُ
Ibn 'Umar said, "Arrow-shuffling is gambling."
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1261No grade recorded
أَنَّ رَجُلَيْنِ اقْتَمَرَا عَلَى دِيكَيْنِ عَلَى عَهْدِ عُمَرَ فَأَمَرَ عُمَرُ بِقَتْلِ الدِّيَكَةِ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ أَتَقْتُلُ أُمَّةً تُسَبِّحُ؟ فَتَرَكَهَا
✧ Two men bet on two roosters in ʿUmar's time, so ʿUmar ordered the roosters killed. A man from the Anṣār said to him, “Will you kill a community that glorifies God?” So he left them.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَنْ حَلَفَ مِنْكُمْ فَقَالَ فِي حَلِفِهِ بِاللاَّتِ وَالْعُزَّى فَلْيَقُلْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ قَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ تَعَالَ أُقَامِرْكَ فَلْيَتَصَدَّقْ
✧ The Messenger of God ﷺ said, “Whoever of you swears and says in his oath, 'By al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā,' let him say, 'There is no god but God.' And whoever says to his companion, 'Come, I will gamble with you,' let him give charity.”
قَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ إِنَّا نَتَرَاهَنُ بِالْحَمَامَيْنِ فَنَكْرَهُ أَنْ نَجْعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا مُحَلِّلاً تَخَوُّفَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ بِهِ الْمُحَلِّلُ؟ فَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ فِعْلِ الصِّبْيَانِ وَتُوشِكُونَ أَنْ تَتْرُكُوهُ
✧ A man said to him, “We bet on two pigeons, and we dislike making a decoy between them for fear that the decoy will take it.” Abū Hurayrah said, “That is an act of boys, and you will soon abandon it.”
فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَا أَنْجَشَةُ رُوَيْدَكَ سَوْقَكَ بِالْقَوَارِيرِ
✧ The Prophet ﷺ said, “O Anjashah, go gently with the glass vessels.”
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1265No grade recorded
فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ {وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ} قَالَ الْغِنَاءُ وَأَشْبَاهُهُ
Ibn 'Abbas said that the words of Allah in Luqman (35:6), "There are people who trade in distracting tales" mean "singing and things like it."
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَفْشُوا السَّلاَمَ تَسْلَمُوا وَالأَشَرَةُ شَرٌّ قَالَ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ الأشَرَةُ الْعَبَثُ
✧ The Messenger of God ﷺ said, “Spread peace and you will be safe, and insolent pride is evil.” Abū Muʿāwiyah said, “Al-asharah is frivolity.”
أَنَّ أَقْوَامًا يَلْعَبُونَ بِالْكُوبَةِ فَقَامَ غَضْبَانًا يَنْهَى عَنْهَا أَشَدَّ النَّهْيِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَلاَ إِنَّ اللاَّعِبَ بِهَا لَيَأْكُلُ قَمْرَهَا كَآكِلِ لَحْمِ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمُتَوَضِّئٍ بِالدَّمِ يَعْنِي بِالْكُوبَةِ النَّرْدَ
✧ That some people were playing with dice, so he stood up angry, forbidding it most severely. Then he said, 'Indeed, the one who plays with it consumes its winnings like one who eats the flesh of a pig and performs ablution with blood.' He meant by dice: backgammon.
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1268No grade recorded
كَانَ عَلِيٌّ ؓ إِذَا خَرَجَ مِنْ بَابِ الْقَصْرِ فَرَأَى أَصْحَابَ النَّرْدِ انْطَلَقَ بِهِمْ فَعَقَلَهُمْ مِنْ غُدْوَةٍ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُعْقَلُ إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ قَالَ وَكَانَ الَّذِي يُعْقَلُ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ هُمُ الَّذِينَ يُعَامِلُونَ بِالْوَرِقِ وَكَانَ الَّذِي يُعْقَلُ إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ الَّذِينَ يَلْهُونَ بِهَا وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَنْ لا يُسَلِّمُوا عَلَيْهِمْ
Al-Fadil ibn Muslim reported that his father said, "When 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, went out through the Bab al-Qasr, he saw some backgammon players. He took them and locked them up from morning to night. Some of them he only locked up for half the day. Those he locked up until night were those who used silver. Those he locked up for half the day were those who played it. He also commanded that they should not be greeted."
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ لَعِبَ بِالنَّرْدِ فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Whoever plays backgammon has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.'
إِيَّاكُمْ وَهَاتَيْنِ الْكَعْبَتَيْنِ الْمَوْسُومَتَيْنِ اللَّتَيْنِ يُزْجَرَانِ زَجْرًا فَإِنَّهُمَا مِنَ الْمَيْسِرِ
'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said, "Beware of these two marked cubes. They should be forcibly prohibited. They are part of gambling."
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ لَعِبَ بِالنَّرْدَشِيرِ فَكَأَنَّمَا صَبَغَ يَدَهُ فِي لَحْمِ خِنْزِيرٍ وَدَمِهِ
✧ The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Whoever plays backgammon, it is as if he dyed his hand in the flesh of a pig and its blood.'
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ لَعِبَ بِالنَّرْدِ فَقَدْ عَصَى اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ
✧ The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Whoever plays backgammon has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.'
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1273No grade recorded
أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ كَانَ إِذَا وَجَدَ أَحَدًا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ يَلْعَبُ بِالنَّرْدِ ضَرَبَهُ وَكَسَرَهَا
✧ ʿAbdullah b. ʿUmar, if he found anyone of his family playing backgammon, would beat him and break it.
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1274No grade recorded
أَنَّهُ بَلَغَهَا أَنَّ أَهْلَ بَيْتٍ فِي دَارِهَا كَانُوا سُكَّانًا فِيهَا عِنْدَهُمْ نَرْدٌ فَأَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِمْ لَئِنْ لَمْ تُخْرِجُوهَا لَأُخْرِجَنَّكُمْ مِنْ دَارِي وَأَنْكَرَتْ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ
'Alqama ibn Abi 'Alqama reported from his mother that 'A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, heard that some people living in a room in her house had a backgammon game. She sent to them, saying, "If you do not remove it, I will evict you from my house." He censured them for playing that.
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1275No grade recorded
خَطَبَنَا ابْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ فَقَالَ يَا أَهْلَ مَكَّةَ بَلَغَنِي عَنْ رِجَالٍ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ يَلْعَبُونَ بِلُعْبَةٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا النَّرْدَشِيرُ وَكَانَ أَعْسَرَ قَالَ اللَّهُ {إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَالْمَيْسِرُ} وَإِنِّي أَحْلِفُ بِاللَّهِ لاَ أُوتَى بِرَجُلٍ لَعِبَ بِهَا إِلاَّ عَاقَبْتُهُ فِي شَعْرِهِ وَبَشَرِهِ وَأَعْطَيْتُ سَلَبَهُ لِمَنْ أَتَانِي بِهِ
Kulthum ibn Jabir said, "Ibn az-Zubayr addressed us and said, 'People of Makka, I have heard that there are men of Quraysh who play a game called backgammon. It is done with the left hand. Allah says, 'Wine and gambling.' (5:90) I swear by Allah that if anyone who plays it is brought before me, I will punish him in his hair and skin, and I will give his booty to the one who brings him to me."
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1276No grade recorded
سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ فِي الَّذِي يَلْعَبُ بِالنَّرْدِ قِمَارًا كَالَّذِي يَأْكُلُ لَحْمَ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَالَّذِي يَلْعَبُ بِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الْقِمَارِ كَالَّذِي يَغْمِسُ يَدَهُ فِي دَمِ خِنْزِيرٍ وَالَّذِي يَجْلِسُ عِنْدَهَا يَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهَا كَالَّذِي يَنْظُرُ إِلَى لَحْمِ الْخِنْزِيرِ
✧ I heard Abu Hurayrah say concerning the one who plays backgammon as gambling: he is like one who eats the flesh of a pig; and the one who plays it without gambling is like one who dips his hand in the blood of a pig; and the one who sits by it looking at it is like one who looks at the flesh of a pig.
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1277No grade recorded
اللاَّعِبُ بِالْفُصَّيْنِ قِمَارًا كَآكِلِ لَحْمِ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَاللاَّعِبُ بِهِمَا غَيْرَ قِمَارٍ كَالْغَامِسِ يَدَهُ فِي دَمِ خِنْزِيرٍ
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As said, "Someone who plays dice for a bet is like a person who eats pig meat. Someone who plays it without betting is like someone who washes his hands in pig's blood."
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ لاَ يُلْدَغُ الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنْ جُحْرٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A believer is not hurt by the same stone twice."
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ رَمَانَا بِاللَّيْلِ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ فِي إِسْنَادِهِ نَظَرٌ
✧ The Prophet ﷺ said, 'Whoever shoots at us at night is not one of us.' Abu ʿAbdullah said, 'There is scrutiny in its chain.'
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَنْ حَمَلَ عَلَيْنَا السِّلاَحَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Whoever carries arms against us is not one of us.'
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مَنْ حَمَلَ عَلَيْنَا السِّلاَحَ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا
✧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Whoever carries arms against us is not one of us.'