Continuation of the discussion on the ruling regarding playing chess.

The Shaykh : You find some of the players shouting and saying, "Oh luck, oh chance." Chess contains none of that; all it contains is the exercise of the mind, so it is a type of mental exercise. If this exercise is done occasionally and under the conditions we mentioned earlier, we see no obstacle to it, knowing that some scholars, such as Ibn Taymiyyah and others, hold the view that it is forbidden. He justifies the prohibition with a reasonable cause. The difference between his view and my view is that, in my opinion, it is not permissible to declare something forbidden absolutely when there is no explicit text regarding it, unless it leads to something that contradicts the text. He says that chess distracts from the remembrance of Allah. If we recall some of the matches that take place today and some of the details mentioned in the pages of newspapers and magazines, there is no doubt that they distract from the remembrance of Allah, because the game, like imagination, remains for hours, not just moments, but days. If the players are equals, and if the player reaches a point where chess distracts him from the remembrance of Allah, then it is like intoxicants. However, this is not necessary for every player. Therefore, we state what the original ruling is regarding it, and we set the conditions that keep the player from falling into a violation of the rulings of the Shari'ah or a violation of any of the rulings of the Shari'ah. Have you finished, Abu Layla?
Abu Layla : It happened.

The Shaykh : Come on, in the name of Allah.