prayer; rather, only those that distract from an obligation are prohibited, as Allah Most High says:
“O you who believe, when the call is made for prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trade.”
He also says:
“Then, when the prayer is concluded, disperse throughout the land and seek Allah’s bounty.”
And He says:
“O you who believe, let neither your wealth nor your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah.”
And He says:
“Neither trade nor sale distracts them from the remembrance of Allah, establishing prayer, and giving zakat.”
Whatever distracts and occupies a person from the remembrance of Allah and prayer that Allah Most High has commanded is therefore prohibited, even if that kind of activity is not itself unlawful, such as selling, engaging in trade, and so forth.
Thus, if playing chess, backgammon, and similar games were permissible in itself, and were prohibited only when it involved consuming wealth wrongfully, its prohibition would be of the same kind as that of prohibited sales and leases involving the wrongful consumption of wealth, such as sales involving uncertainty. The prohibition of these transactions is not explained by their distracting people from obligatory remembrance of Allah and from prayer, since valid sales can also cause such distraction. Nor is the prohibition of invalid transactions explained by their distracting people from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. It may therefore be said that, among valid transactions, those that distract from an obligation are prohibited.
It thus becomes clear that gambling is not prohibited merely because it is an invalid transaction. Rather, the activity itself is prohibited because of this harmful consequence, just as drinking intoxicants is prohibited. This is clear to anyone who reflects upon it.
Do you not see that when Allah prohibited usury because of the injustice and wrongful consumption of wealth it involves, He coupled this with mention of trade, which is just, and preceded it with mention of charity, which is an act of beneficence? Thus, towards the end of Sūrat al-Baqarah, He set out the rulings concerning wealth as they pertain to the beneficent, the just, and the unjust: