He—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—was asked:

Two men disagreed about chess. One said, “It is forbidden.” The other said, “It keeps one from backbiting and looking at people, and it is lawful.” Which of them is correct?

He answered:

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds.

If chess is played for stakes or involves neglecting an obligation—such as delaying prayer beyond its prescribed time, neglecting its obligatory elements, or failing to attend to the needs of one’s dependants or other duties incumbent upon Muslims—then it is forbidden by the consensus of the Muslims. Likewise, if it involves lying, injustice, or other prohibited acts, it is forbidden by consensus.

When it is free of these things, the majority of scholars—including Mālik and his followers, Abū Hanīfa and his followers, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and his followers, and many of al-Shāfi‘ī’s followers—hold that it is forbidden. These scholars said that al-Shāfi‘ī did not categorically declare it lawful; rather, he disapproved of it. It is also reported that he said, “Its prohibition has not become clear to me.”

Al-Bayhaqī, the most knowledgeable of al-Shāfi‘ī’s followers in hadith and his staunchest defender, cited the Companions’ consensus on prohibiting it, reporting this position from ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, Abū Sa‘īd, Ibn ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Abbās, Abū Mūsā, and ‘Ā’isha—may Allah be pleased with them. He reported no disagreement among the Companions on this matter. Whoever reports that any Companion permitted it is mistaken. Al-Bayhaqī and other hadith scholars know the Companions’ statements better than those who transmit statements without chains of transmission.

Al-Bayhaqī said: “Al-Shāfi‘ī regarded playing chess as one of the matters concerning which there is disagreement