involves gambling is part of maysir, even children’s playing with walnuts and knucklebones. It is also related from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that backgammon and chess are among maysir.

Allah Most High says: “Say: In them there is grave sin” (2:219)—that is, a tremendous burden of quarrelling, mutual abuse, and obscene speech. Hamzah and al-Kisa’i read it as ithm kathir (“much sin”), with thā’; the other reciters read it with bā’. The sin in wine and gambling is that which Allah mentions in Surat al-Ma’idah: “Satan only seeks to provoke enmity and hatred among you through wine and gambling, and to turn you away from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. Will you not then desist?” (al-Ma’idah 5:91).

“And there are benefits for people” (2:219). The benefit of wine is the pleasure and exhilaration experienced in drinking it, its making food more palatable, and the profits people gain by trading in it. The benefit of gambling is acquiring wealth without exertion or toil, and the poor benefiting from it. Its sin lies in the fact that when a person loses his wealth without compensation, this distresses him; he then becomes hostile to his companion and seeks to harm him.

“And their sin is greater than their benefit” (2:219). Al-Dahhak and others said: Their sin after they were prohibited is greater than their benefit before the prohibition ⦗35/a⦘. It was also said: Their sin is greater than their benefit even before the prohibition; this refers to the enmity and hatred that result from them.

Allah Most High says: “And they ask you what they should spend” (2:219). This was because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, urged them to give charity, so they asked, “What should we spend?” He said: “Say: the surplus.” Abu Amr read “the surplus” in the nominative, meaning: What they should spend is the surplus. The others read it in the accusative, meaning: Say, “Spend the surplus.”

They differed concerning the meaning of “the surplus.” Qatadah, Ata’, and al-Suddi said: It is what remains beyond one’s needs. The Companions would earn wealth, retain what was needed for their expenses, and give the excess in charity in accordance with the ruling of this verse. Then this was abrogated by the verse concerning zakah. Mujahid said: It means giving charity while retaining sufficient means, so that one does not remain a burden upon people.

The Imam Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Qadi informed us; Abu Tahir Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmish al-Ziyadi informed us; Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Hafs al-Tajir informed us; Ibrahim ibn Abd Allah ibn Umar al-Kufi informed us; Waki’ informed us, from al-A’mash, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The best charity is that which is given while one remains self-sufficient. The upper hand is better than the lower hand; and begin with those whom you support.” (1)

Amr ibn Dinar said: It is the middle course, without extravagance or stinginess. Allah Most High says: “Those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor miserly” (al-Furqan 25:67). Tawus said: It is that which is pleasing. The surplus is ease in every matter. Allah Most High says: “Accept what is easy” (al-A’raf 7:199), meaning, accept what people can readily offer of good character.

Abd al-Wahhab ibn Muhammad al-Khatib informed us; Abd al-Aziz ibn Ahmad al-Khallal informed us; Abu al-Abbas al-Asamm informed us;