by consensus when it involves anything forbidden, such as lying, a false oath, wrongdoing, an offence, speech that is not obligatory, or the like. The majority regard it as forbidden even when it is free of these prohibited elements, for it distracts from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer, and breeds enmity and hatred more than backgammon played for stakes does. When both are played for stakes, chess is worse in both cases. If, however, the stake comes from one of the two, that involves consuming wealth unjustly in a way that the other does not.
Allah Most High has mentioned gambling together with wine, sacrificial stones and divining arrows because they distract from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. They also breed enmity and hatred. Indeed, excessive chess-playing veils the heart and distracts it from remembrance and prayer even more than wine does.
The Commander of the Faithful, ‘Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, likened chess players to idol worshippers when he said:
“What are these statues to which you are so devoted?”
Likewise, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, likened a wine drinker to an idol worshipper in the hadith recorded in al-Musnad, in which he said:
“One who drinks wine is like one who worships an idol.”
As for the reports that Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr played chess, he explained his reason: al-Hajjāj sought to appoint him as a judge, so he played chess to discredit himself and thereby avoid the appointment. He considered serving under al-Hajjāj more harmful to his religion than playing chess. Actions are judged by intentions, and need may render permissible something even more strictly forbidden than this. This shows that they regarded playing chess as a reprehensible act, as is also reported from ‘Alī, Ibn ‘Umar and others.
For this reason, Abū Hanīfah, Ahmad and others said that a chess player should not be greeted with salām, because he openly displays disobedience. The two companions of Abū Hanīfah, however, said that he should be greeted.