Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Betting and similar pastimes
كتاب القمار ونحوه
Chapter 608
بَابُ الْقِمَارِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Farwah ibn Abi al-Maghra’ related to us: Ibrahim ibn al-Mukhtar informed us, from Ma‘ruf ibn Suhayl al-Burjumi, from Ja‘far ibn Abi al-Mughirah, who said: Sa‘id ibn Jubayr stayed with me and said: Ibn ‘Abbas related to me that it used to be said, ‘Where are the shares in the slaughtered camel?’ Ten men would gather and buy the camel for ten young camels. They would cast the arrows, and the allocation would fall to nine, then continue until it fell to one. The others would owe a young camel each, continuing through the young camels. That is gambling (maysir).
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The description of the old arrow-lottery and its successive shares is difficult and has been translated closely; the source's phrase إلى الفصال is retained in sense as the sequence of young camels.
The English witness paraphrases the distribution differently; this translation follows the Arabic wording.
فَيَجْتَمِعُ الْعَشَرَةُ، فَيَشْتَرُونَ الْجَزُورَ بِعَشَرَةِ فِصْلاَنٍ إِلَى الْفِصَالِ، فَيُجِيلُونَ السِّهَامَ، فَتَصِيرُ لَتِسْعَةٍ، حَتَّى تَصِيرَ إِلَى وَاحِدٍ
The wording describes an archaic arrow-lottery with camel shares/young camels, but the exact mechanics are not explicit in this text.
Should this passage be rendered from a separately verified account of the pre-Islamic maysir practice?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Uwaysi related to us: Sulayman ibn Bilal related to us, from Musa ibn ‘Uqbah, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: ‘Maysir is gambling.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Maysir is retained as the Arabic term, glossed here by Ibn ‘Umar as gambling.
Chapter 609
بَابُ قِمَارُ الدِّيكِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibrahim ibn al-Mundhir related to us: Ma‘n related to me: Ibn al-Munkadir related to me, from his father, from Rabi‘ah ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Hudayr ibn ‘Abd Allah: Two men wagered two roosters against each other in the time of ‘Umar. ‘Umar ordered that the roosters be killed. A man from the Ansar said to him: ‘Would you kill a community that glorifies Allah?’ So he left them alive.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic uses the plural “roosters” in the order and describes them as a community that glorifies Allah.
أَتَقْتُلُ أُمَّةً تُسَبِّحُ
The Arabic has a feminine noun meaning community or nation and a verb agreeing with that collective noun.
None; the translation follows the Arabic grammar and sense.
Chapter 610
بَابُ مَنْ قَالَ لِصَاحِبِهِ: تَعَالَ أُقَامِرْكَ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Yahya ibn Bukayr related to us: al-Layth related to us, from ‘Uqayl, from Ibn Shihab: Humayd ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman informed me that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘If one of you swears an oath and says in it, “By al-Lat and al-‘Uzza,” let him say, “There is no god but Allah.” And whoever says to his companion, “Come, let me gamble with you,” let him give charity.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The remedy for invoking the pre-Islamic idols and the instruction to give charity after proposing a wager are both stated in the Arabic.
Chapter 611
بَابُ قِمَارِ الْحَمَامِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Amr ibn Zurara related to us: Marwan ibn Mu‘awiyah related to us, from ‘Umar ibn Hamzah al-‘Umari, from Husayn ibn Mus‘ab: A man said to Abu Hurayrah: ‘We wager on two pigeons, but dislike setting a muhallil (a third, non-betting entrant) between them, for fear that the muhallil might take the winnings.’ Abu Hurayrah said: ‘That is childish behavior, and soon you will give it up.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The speaker describes a pigeon race and a muhallil, a third entrant added to distinguish the contest from a direct wager between two parties; the exact mechanics are not explained here.
فَنَكْرَهُ أَنْ نَجْعَلَ بَيْنَهُمَا مُحَلِّلاً تَخَوُّفَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ بِهِ الْمُحَلِّلُ؟
The source gives the term muhallil and the concern that this entrant might take the prize, but leaves the full contest arrangement implicit.
Should muhallil be glossed more fully from a verified account of this historical contest practice?
Chapter 612
بَابُ الْحُدَاءِ لِلنِّسَاءِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Musa ibn Isma‘il related to us: Hammad ibn Salamah related to us: Thabit informed us, from Anas: al-Bara’ ibn Malik used to chant for the men as they travelled, and Anjashah used to chant for the women. He had a fine voice. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Anjashah, go gently as you drive the delicate glass vessels.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The glass vessels are a metaphor for the women riding in the caravan; the report does not describe literal glass cargo.
Chapter 613
بَابُ الْغِنَاءِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Hafs ibn ‘Umar related to us: Khalid ibn ‘Abd Allah related to us: ‘Ata’ ibn al-Sa’ib informed us, from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ‘Abbas, concerning the words of the Almighty: ‘Among people is one who purchases distracting talk.’ He said: ‘Singing and things like it.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source quotes only the Arabic phrase and Ibn ‘Abbas’s gloss; the full verse and its reference are not supplied in this block.
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ
The English witness labels the citation as Luqman 35:6, but the source block itself gives only the quoted phrase and no verse number.
Should the verse reference be added from the surrounding edition metadata?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Salam related to us: al-Fazari and Abu Mu‘awiyah informed us: Qinan ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Nahmi informed us, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awsajah, from al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib, who said: The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Spread the greeting of peace and you will be safe. Boastful insolence is evil.’ Abu Mu‘awiyah said: ‘Al-asharah means frivolous mischief.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source glosses الأشرة as العبث (frivolous play/mischief); it is not the Arabic word for a saw.
وَالأَشَرَةُ شَرٌّ.
The report’s gloss defines al-asharah as frivolous mischief/play, while the witness has “saw,” apparently from a misreading.
Should الأشرة be rendered as frivolity, boastfulness, or wanton play?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Isam related to us: Hariz related to us, from Salman al-Alhani, from Fadalah ibn ‘Ubayd, who was at a gathering. News reached him that some people were playing kubah. He rose angrily and forbade it in the strongest terms. Then he said: ‘Know that the one who plays it and consumes its winnings is like one who eats pig’s flesh and performs ablution with blood.’ The source explains: ‘Kubah means dice.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic explicitly glosses kubah as nard (dice); the English witness instead calls it backgammon.
The final comparison is translated as written, retaining its emphatic rhetoric.
يَعْنِي بِالْكُوبَةِ: النَّرْدَ.
The source glosses kubah as nard (dice), which is more specific than backgammon.
Should the game name follow the source gloss “dice” rather than the witness’s backgammon?
Chapter 614
بَابُ مَنْ لَمْ يُسَلِّمْ عَلَى أَصْحَابِ النَّرْدِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Ubayd Allah ibn Sa‘id related to us, from al-Qasim ibn al-Hakam al-Qadi, who said: ‘Ubayd Allah ibn al-Walid al-Wassafi informed us, from al-Fudayl ibn Muslim, from his father, who said: ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, when he left the palace gate and saw people playing nard, would take them away and detain them from morning until night. Some were detained only until midday. Those detained until night were the ones who played for money; those detained until midday were the ones who played it for amusement. He also ordered that people not greet them.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The source distinguishes people who played for silver/money from those who played for amusement, and gives different detention periods.
The verb يعقلهم here is rendered as detain/hold in custody; the exact historical procedure is not specified.
فَرَأَى أَصْحَابَ النَّرْدِ انْطَلَقَ بِهِمْ فَعَقَلَهُمْ مِنْ غُدْوَةٍ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ
The report’s verb for what ‘Ali did to the players is context-dependent; it is rendered as detaining them, but does not explain the exact procedure.
Should the verb يعقلهم be translated as detention, restraint, or another form of custody?
Chapter 615
بَابُ إِثْمِ مَنْ لَعِبَ بِالنَّرْدِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Isma‘il related to us: Malik related to me, from Musa ibn Maysarah, from Sa‘id ibn Abi Hind, from Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari, that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Whoever plays nard has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Nard is a dice-based board game commonly rendered backgammon.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Musaddad related to us: Mu‘tamir related to us: I heard ‘Abd al-Malik, from Abu al-Ahwas, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, who said: ‘Beware of these two marked dice, which are thrown with a throw; they are part of maysir (gambling).’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report uses the image of two marked cubes/dice and says they are thrown; it does not name a particular modern game.
هَاتَيْنِ الْكَعْبَتَيْنِ الْمَوْسُومَتَيْنِ اللَّتَيْنِ يُزْجَرَانِ زَجْرًا
The marked cubes are described by their shape and action but the source does not identify the exact game pieces or game.
Should these be rendered as dice or as two marked cubes?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Yusuf and Qabisah related to us: Sufyan related to us, from ‘Alqamah ibn Marthad, from Ibn Buraydah, from his father, from the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said: ‘Whoever plays nardashir, it is as if he has dipped his hand in the flesh and blood of a pig.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Nardashir is the named dice game; the Arabic simile refers to dipping one’s hand in pig’s flesh and blood.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Yunus and Malik ibn Isma‘il related to us: Zuhayr related to us: ‘Ubayd Allah related to me: Nafi‘ related to me, from Sa‘id ibn Abi Hind, from Abu Musa, from the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said: ‘Whoever plays nard has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
Nard is the dice-based board game known in English as backgammon.
Chapter 616
بَابُ الأَدَبِ وَإِخْرَاجِ الَّذِينَ يَلْعَبُونَ بِالنَّرْدِ وَأَهْلِ الْبَاطِلِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Isma‘il related to us: Malik related to me, from Nafi‘, that whenever ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar found one of his family playing nard, he would strike him and break the game board.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says he broke the nard/game board, as reflected in the English witness.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Isma‘il related to us: Malik related to me, from ‘Alqamah ibn Abi ‘Alqamah, from his mother, from ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her: She heard that people living in a household in her residence had a nard game. She sent word to them: ‘If you do not remove it, I will make you leave my residence.’ She disapproved of their having it.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says the people were residents in ‘A’ishah’s own house and that she disapproved of the game; the witness’s final sentence misattributes that disapproval to “he.”
وَأَنْكَرَتْ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ
The Arabic feminine verb refers to ‘A’ishah, not to a male narrator.
None; the translation follows the feminine attribution in Arabic.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Musa related to us: Rabi‘ah ibn Kulthum ibn Jabr related to us: My father related to me: Ibn al-Zubayr addressed us and said: ‘People of Makkah, I have heard that some men of Quraysh play a game called nardashir; he was left-handed. Allah says: “Wine and gambling...” I swear by Allah, if any man who has played it is brought to me, I will punish him in his hair and his skin, and I will give his belongings to the one who brings him to me.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic preserves وكان أعسر (“and he was left-handed”) after the game name; the precise referent of this short description is unclear, so it has not been expanded into an explanation of how the game is played.
The quoted Quranic phrase is partial; the full verse reference is not included in this source block.
وَكَانَ أَعْسَرَ
The pronoun’s referent is not explicit in the isolated text; the English witness treats the clause as describing how the game is played, but the Arabic form may refer to Ibn al-Zubayr or another person.
Does this note describe Ibn al-Zubayr as left-handed, or does it refer to the game?
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ibn al-Sabbah related to us: Isma‘il ibn Zakariyya related to us, from ‘Ubayd ibn Abi Umayyah al-Hanafi, known as al-Tanafisi, who said: Ya‘la Abu Murrah related to me: I heard Abu Hurayrah say about someone who plays nard for stakes: ‘He is like one who eats the flesh of a pig. One who plays it without gambling is like one who dips his hand in a pig’s blood. And one who sits beside the game, watching it, is like one who looks at pig’s flesh.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The report explicitly distinguishes play for gambling, play without gambling, and merely sitting and watching.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
al-Hasan ibn ‘Umar related to us: Yazid ibn Zuray‘ related to us, from Habib, from ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb, from his father, from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, who said: ‘One who plays with two dice for stakes is like one who eats pig’s flesh, and one who plays with them without gambling is like one who dips his hand in a pig’s blood.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The term الفصين refers here to two dice; the source distinguishes wagering from play without a wager.
Chapter 617
بَابُ لا يُلْدَغُ الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنْ جُحْرٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
‘Abd Allah ibn Salih related to us: al-Layth related to me: Yunus related to me, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab informed me that Abu Hurayrah told him that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘A believer is not stung from the same hole twice.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic says “hole” (جحر), not “stone” as in the English witness.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: لاَ يُلْدَغُ الْمُؤْمِنُ مِنْ جُحْرٍ مَرَّتَيْنِ.
The Arabic metaphor is being stung from a hole/burrow twice; the English witness substitutes “stone.”
None; this translation follows the Arabic text.