Betting and similar pastimes

كتاب القمار ونحوه

Chapter 1: Betting

Ja'far ibn Abi'l-Mughira said, "Sa'id ibn Jubayr stayed with me and said tht Ibn 'Abbas related to me that he used to say, 'Where are those who play with gambling arrows for the slaughtered camel? They buy a camel with ten shares. Then they shuffle the arrows and it becomes nine shares and they continue until comes down to one share. The others lose their shares to the one share. That is gambling (arrow-shuffling).'"

Ibn 'Umar said, "Arrow-shuffling is gambling."

Chapter 2: Betting a cock

Rabi'a ibn 'Abdullah ibn al-Hadir ibn 'Abdullah reported tht two men wagered two cocks in the time of 'Umar. 'Umar ordered that the cock be killed and a man of the Ansar said to him, "Will you kill a something which glorifies Allah?" So 'Umar left it.

Chapter 3: Someone who says to his companion, "Come, I'll make a bet with you."

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If any of you makes an oath and swears in his oath by al-Lat and al-'Uzza should say, 'There is no god but Allah.' If any of you tells him companion, 'Come on, I will make a bet with you' should give sadaqa."

Chapter 4: Betting a pigeon

Husayn ibn Mus'ab reported that someone told Abu Hurayra, "We wager two pigeons and we do not want for there to be a third unwagered pigeon between them so that the unwagered pigeon might take the winnings." Abu Hurayra said, "That is how children behave. You are at the point where you should abandon that."

Chapter 5: Doing the camel-chant for women's camels

It is related tht al-Bara' ibn Malik used to do the camel-chant for the men and Anjasha used to do the camel-chant for the women. He had a good voice and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anjasha, be gentle when you drive the glass-vessels."

Chapter 6: Singing

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."

Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Extend the greeting and you will be safe. The saw is evil."

Salman al-Ilhani reported that Fadala ibn 'Ubayd was in a gathering. He heard that some people were playing backgammon. He got up in anger and forbade it in the strongest possible terms. Then he said, "Anyone who plays it in order to consume its winnings is like someone who eats pig meat and does wudu' with blood."

Chapter 7: The person who does not greet backgammon players

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."

Chapter 8: The wrong action of someone who plays backgammon

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who plays backgammon has rebelled against Allah and His Messenger."

'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said, "Beware of these two marked cubes. They should be forcibly prohibited. They are part of gambling."

Burayda reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Someone who plays backgammon is like a person who puts his hand in the meat and blood of a pig."

Abu Musa reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who plays backgammon has rebelled against Allah and His Messenger."

Chapter 9: Manners and removing those who play backgammon

Nafi' related that if 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar found any of his family playing backgammon, he would beat them and break the board.

'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.

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."

Ya'la ibn Murra reported that he heard Abu Hurayra speaking about someone who plays backgammon and bets on it, saying that he is like someone who eats pig meat and that the person who plays it without betting on it is like someone who washes his hands in pig's blood. The person who sits looking at it is like someone who looks at pig's meat.

'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."