Various Miscellaneous Incidents and the Prohibition of Gambling and Chess — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 3
Introduction
In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding Various Miscellaneous Incidents and the Prohibition of Gambling and Chess.
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: VI – All Races Invited to Islam
Pages: Book pp. 222–227 (PDF pp. 240–245)
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: [Letter of the Holy Prophet (sa) to the Chief of Yamamah] | Next: None »
Historical Account
these letters were written to the end of 6 A.H. or in the beginning of 7 A.H., it was not until 7 A.H. that their responses were received. However, with the thought of mentioning all relevant occurrences in one place, I have included these letters in the accounts of 6 A.H.
In this very year, i.e., in 6 A.H., the mother of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishahra whose name was Ummi Rūmān passed away. Ummi Rūmān whose actual name was Zainab, first married ‘Abdullāh bin Sakhbarah, and after his demise, married Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr. She gave birth to ‘Abdur-Raḥmān bin Abī Bakr and Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishahra. Ummi Rūmān was a very pious lady and possessed a very simple disposition. In her capacity as the wife of Abū Bakrra, the first Khalīfah, and the mother of Ḥaḍrat ‘Ā’ishahra, the distinction which she acquired in the history of Islām does not require an explanation. When she was being lowered into her grave, the Holy Prophetsa said, “Anyone who desires to see a lady of paradise should look at Ummi Rūmān.” This is a very simple statement of the Holy Prophetsa but it proves that according to the view of the Holy Prophetsa, the beautiful women of paradise did not infer charming and beautiful women who would be born in the hereafter and placed in paradise to accompany the believers. Instead, this referred to the souls of those pious women of the world who would accompany righteous people in paradise. Furthermore, although every soul would be made young and then enter paradise, this proves in any case, that the companionship of paradise would be spiritual in nature, not physical.
[Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 4, p. 381, ‘Ā’ishatu Ummul-Mu’minīn, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)]
[Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan, Volume 2, p. 26, Wafātu Ummi Rūmān, Mu’assasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut]
[Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 4, p. 381, ‘Ā’ishatu Ummul-Mu’minīn, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan, Volume 2, p. 26, Wafātu Ummi Rūmān, Mu’assasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut]
[Al-Wāqi‘ah (56:23-25) * Sunan At-Tirmidhī, Kitābu Ṣifatil-Jannah, Bābu Mā Jā’a Fī Sinni Ahlil-Jannah, Ḥadīth No. 2545]
According to some, alcohol was prohibited in 6 A.H., but as we have already stated in Volume 2 of this book, in our opinion, it was prohibited after the Ghazwah of Uḥud to the end of 3 A.H. or in the beginning of 4 A.H. This is the view of most Muslim research scholars. Even logically in my opinion, a filthy thing like alcohol, which is the mother of all evils, could not have been
left without prohibition for too long after the migration. The Holy Prophetsa would emphasis the prohibition of alcohol to such extent that he would state, “You should not even sit at a table where another person is consuming alcohol.”
[Please refer to Sīrat Khātamun-Nabiyyīnsa, Volume 2]
[Sunanu Abī Dāwūd, Kitābul-Aṭ‘imah, Bābu Mā Jā’a Fil-Julūsi ‘Alā Mā’idatin ‘Alaihā Ba‘du Mā Yukrahu, Ḥadīth No. 3774 * Musnad, By Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal, Volume 1, p. 114, Musnadu ‘Umar-abnil-Khaṭṭāb, Ḥadīth No. 125, ‘Ālamul-Kutub, Beirut (1998)]
In the very same year, according to various statements, gambling was also prohibited. Gambling refers to a game of chance, where revenues are not generated on the basis of effort or skill, rather, merely on the basis of coincidental circumstances. Since time spent in the generation of such revenue not only destroys a person’s character, but also becomes a means of ruining the balance of national wealth, with immense wisdom, the Islāmic Sharī‘at forbade gambling as well.
[Al-Mā’idah (5:91) * Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan * Sunanu Abī Dāwūd, Kitābul-Aṭ‘imah, Bābu Mā Jā’a Fil-Julūsi ‘Alā Mā’idatin ‘Alaihā Ba‘du Mā Yukrahu, Ḥadīth No. 3774 [Publishers]]
There is no doubt that hasty people who flow away with the tide of freedom, fear all kinds of restrictions. However, there is not an iota of doubt in the fact that the restrictions placed upon Muslims by Islām is solely for their own benefit; and the prohibition of gambling is due to the same principle.
[Please refer to Sīrat Khātamun-Nabiyyīnsa, Volume 3]
Chess was forbidden during the very same year because firstly, it generally becomes an excuse for gambling, and secondly, a person becomes so engrossed in it, that he becomes negligent towards the beneficial aspects of life. Islām certainly does not forbid a legitimate means of leisure, but it does indeed prohibit a person from moving about at whim in the likeness of an unbridled camel and destroying the beneficial aspects of his life. The game of chess possesses two great aspects of evil. Firstly, chess players become so overly indulged that they become negligent of the world around them. Secondly, they become inclined towards gambling, because chess is usually played with bets. Therefore, with immense wisdom, Islām has prohibited this game.
[Ṣaḥīḥu Muslim, Kitābush-Shi‘r, Bābu Taḥrīmil-La‘ibi Bil-Nardashīri, Ḥadīth No. 5896 * Musnad, By Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal, Volume 2, p. 604, Musnadu ‘Abdillāh-ibni ‘Amr-ibnil-‘Āṣ, Ḥadīth No. 6547, ‘Ālamul-Kutub, Beirut (1998) * Tārīkhul-Khamīs Fī Aḥwāli Anfasi Nafīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan, Volume 2, p. 29, Ṣifatul-Maisiri, Mu’assasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut]
In actuality, the Islāmic philosophy of Sharī‘at does not only state that such things are forbidden which are evil in their current state. In fact, even those things are forbidden which may not be evil in their current state, but they pull an individual towards evil in normal circumstances and this attraction is extraordinarily dominant. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophetsa states in principle with regards to drinking, etc.:
ٌمَا اَسْ کَرَ کَثِیْرُہٗ فَقَلِیْلُهٗ حَرَام
“A small quantity of anything which causes intoxication in large quantity is also forbidden.”
[Musnad, By Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥanbal, Volume 2, p. 606, Musnadu ‘Abdillāh-ibni ‘Amr-ibnil-‘Āṣ, Ḥadīth No. 6558, ‘Ālamul-Kutub, Beirut (1998)]
This blessed statement of the Holy Prophetsa is based on the extremely deep and subtle psychological philosophy. There are certain evils in the world that when a person commits them once, he is unable to stop advancing in them; every step pushes a person to take the next. However, it is unfortunate that very few people have understood and valued this philosophy.
Volume III Glossary of Terms
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 3)
Section: VI – All Races Invited to Islam | Navigation: « Previous: [Letter of the Holy Prophet (sa) to the Chief of Yamamah] | Next: None »