The Support of the Needy on the Legal Ruling of Chess

9. War

This statement rests upon this principle: that which was established without the keen eye of a professional cannot be truly witnessed or understood. If it were asked why one would pursue it when it was merely a game of Shatranj Chess played without purpose or scholarly merit, the answer is that the master distinguishes himself through strategic planning and clever ruses, until it became as if it were the "Chess of the Arabs."

It is said that because [the Abbasid Caliph] al-Mansur was cautious in nature, yet loved the movements of war, he did not personally accompany his armies. Therefore, one of the wise men of Rome devised for him fourteen Ta’bi’a Military deployments or battle formations attributed to his faction to improve his understanding of deployments and engagements.

In these formations, the elders of his time saw the very essence of how two armies meet and how two opponents face one another—how they advance Did it not please him? toward each other, the arrangement of their ranks, the sudden retreats, and the subsequent returns until a player sees an opening in his opponent’s defense. It is said that when men gathered in the past, they would glare at one another with human hostility; thus, the game was created to give them a peaceful occupation. And from Zam’ah al-Mushba’ it is phrased that the Persians original: "A’jam," meaning non-Arabs, but historically referring to Persians in the context of chess origins only devised chess as a surrogate for war. Perhaps when they gathered, they would observe one another with the intensity of combatants, so they transformed that energy into the occupation of play. Others have said differently. And al-Suli has recorded in his book, by way of Ma’mar ibn Sulayman from his father, who said: "Chess was established for a momentous purpose." Others attributed this sentiment to Sa’id ibn Jubayr, who, upon seeing the game, remarked that chess was only established for a momentous purpose. And with God is the success.

Chapter One

From Abdullah ibn Ubayd, it is narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever plays chess has abandoned his [duty against] polytheism, and whoever associates partners with God, it is as if he fell from the sky." Abu Mansur al-Daylami supported this in his Musnad al-Firdaws A famous collection of Hadith by way of Abu Hafs Nuh ibn Abi Maryam—who is notorious for fabrications—from Muqatil, from Abu al-Ahwas, from Amrah.

And from Anas ibn Malik, from the Prophet (peace be upon him): "Whoever plays chess has disobeyed God and His Messenger." Al-Daylami mentioned this in his abridgment of Musnad al-Firdaws and attributed it to his teacher Sam’an ibn al-Mahdi from Anas; this is a surviving narration noted by al-Halimi.

And from Ibn Umar (may God be pleased with them both): The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: "Cursed is he who plays chess." Al-Daylami recorded it by way of Jabir ibn Abdullah and others. However, when the scholar al-Nawawi A 13th-century authority on Islamic law was asked about this, he stated: "It is not authentic."

And Ibn Hazm recorded by way of Abd al-Malik ibn Habib, from Asad ibn Musa and Ali ibn Ma’bad—both from Ibn Jurayj, from Habbah, from the Prophet (peace be upon him): "Chess is cursed for whoever plays it, and the spectator is like one who eats the flesh of swine." However, the narrator Habbah has been criticized as Majhul A "hidden" or unknown narrator whose reliability cannot be verified. Ibn Habib is considered weak, and the chain of transmission is broken. Likewise, Ibn al-Battal stated that Habbah is unknown.