(All play is invalid except for three) What is meant by invalid? And what is the ruling on playing football and chess?

The Shaykh : Please go ahead.

The questioner : Regarding the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that The Shaykh: In some of what a person amuses himself with, there may be a physical benefit, for example, like playing ball, and also in the sense of energizing a person and helping him with matters of truth. Is this among the things excluded from the hadith?

The Shaykh : Within the limits of what you mentioned, it is excluded. But what do you understand from the word "invalid"?

The questioner : The Shaykh, I mean, many scholars have mentioned that it is forbidden, based on the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) "invalid." Among them, I mention al-Khatib al-Baghdadi and I mention this statement of Ibn al-Qayyim, and Allah knows best.

The Shaykh : But if we remain with the principle that the concepts of the scholars are considered, then your saying "many" has a concept. What is the opposite of "many"?

The questioner : No, when I said "many," I mean those about whom I have read a lot, so I do not know if there is anyone who disagrees.

The Shaykh : Okay, and does the word "invalid" mean "forbidden" in the language?

The questioner : "Invalid" here may be, and that is the apparent meaning, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Okay, so this issue requires clarifying the meaning of this word, because I do not understand that the word "invalid" means "forbidden." That is, it is not permissible for us to say, if it is permissible for us to narrate the hadith by meaning: "All play that a son of Adam plays with is forbidden except for the three things mentioned, or the four." Rather, "invalid" means it has no benefit and is a waste of time, and the like of that.
Al-Halabi : Futility.

The Shaykh : Futility only. But in any case, if we look at the reality that existed in that era, we might find things that do not fall under this exception. For example, the race of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with Aisha. This cannot be included in the general rule, but rather it must be included in the matters excluded in the hadith. This is an example of what was in that time. Now, of course, many new amusements have emerged. These amusements must be restricted by Shari'ah guidelines. So, by the ruling of the underlying cause and the understood operative cause, and you mentioned an example, football for instance. I said, within the limits of what I mentioned, we do not see that as invalid, let alone see it as forbidden. But with conditions that are not hidden from the people of knowledge, among which, for example, that the clothing be Shari'ah-compliant, and that it not expose the 'awrah, as is the case if we say all the players, most of the players with this ball and others are like that. Also, that the timing of the matches not be at the times of prayers such that they may lose the prayer entirely, or at least lose the prayer in congregation. If these amusements are regulated by Shari'ah guidelines, then they are not amusements, but rather they are actually a help in strengthening the body of the Muslim, as some scholars said in explaining the saying of Allah the Exalted, contrary to the apparent meaning of the hadith: . He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, as in the hadith of 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir in Sahih Muslim: . Some people may understand from this hadith that strength is restricted to archery, but the truth is that what is understood from the Arabic style, especially if the strength here contradicts the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted: , there is no room for understanding the hadith except in the Arabic style, like his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . So, Hajj is 'Arafah; if one does nothing but stand at 'Arafah rigidly, ignorant of the Arabic style, then he has no Hajj. But his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) "Hajj is 'Arafah" means that the greatest pillar of the pillars of Hajj is standing at 'Arafah. Likewise, regarding that time when the means of fighting were limited between a spear, an arrow, and a sword, the spears were the strength that meant to paralyze the enemy's strength. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, in the context of explaining the importance of archery: . If now some games or amusements are found that strengthen the bodies of Muslims, there is no objection to that at all, and it may even be a collective obligation, with the Shari'ah conditions to some of which I referred earlier. Did you record something?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Bring it.

The questioner : Regarding some games, if they fall into this category, regarding chess, what is the ruling on the game of chess? What is the Shari'ah ruling in that?

The Shaykh : Chess, if the idols in it are removed, and the playing of chess is also restricted by Shari'ah conditions, then it does not distract from performing the obligations, whether they are religious obligations, or family obligations, or social obligations. So it is permissible, unlike dice, because first, there is a text in the prohibition of dice with the strongest prohibition, and second, it is based on luck. So you find the players with it, or with games similar to it, you find the player among them shouting and saying, "O dice, O luck." Chess has none of that. All it has is the exercise of the mind, so it is a type of mental exercise. If this exercise is sometimes, and with the conditions we mentioned earlier, then we see no obstacle to it. Knowing that some scholars, like Ibn Taymiyyah for example and others, go to the prohibition of it, and he justifies the prohibition with a reasonable cause. The difference between what he went to and what I go to is that, in my belief, it is not permissible to issue a general prohibition for something that has no text, unless what results from it contradicts the text. So he says that chess distracts from the remembrance of Allah. And if we remember some of the matches that take place today and some of their details mentioned on the pages of newspapers and magazines, there is no doubt that they distract from the remembrance of Allah.
The Shaykh: Because the thing, like chess, means the game remains not just hours but days. Days, if the players are peers of each other. So if the player with chess reaches the point where it distracts him from the remembrance of Allah, then it is like intoxicants. But this is not necessary for every player. Therefore, we say what is the original ruling in it, and we set the conditions that keep the player away from falling into violating the Shari'ah rulings, or violating one of the Shari'ah rulings. Is it time, Abu Layla?
Abu Layla : It happened.

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

The questioner : Regarding the one who declares a person who misses the Fajr or 'Asr prayer to be a hypocrite, meaning actual hypocrisy, saying "you are a hypocrite because you did not attend these two prayers," I do not know, O Shaykh, what the ruling on this is, along with your advice to the one who accuses him?

The Shaykh : With advice to whom?

The questioner : To the one who accuses the brother?

The Shaykh : Ah, yes. The hadith on this is well known in the Sunnah that the 'Isha' and Fajr prayers are the most difficult prayers for the hypocrites. However, declaring a specific person, such as Zayd, to be a hypocrite, we do not consider this permissible, unless it is established with certainty that he has no excuse. In that case, the treatment is not by applying the term "hypocrite" to him, but by reminding him and advising him repeatedly, time after time. If it becomes clear that he does not respond to the reminders of those who remind him and the advice of those who advise him, then there is no doubt, in this situation, that it is permissible to apply the term "hypocrite" to him, as long as it is established that he has no legal excuse. For he then falls under the general statement of the jurist poet, or the poet jurist, who said:
"Criticism is not backbiting in six cases: *** The aggrieved, the one seeking knowledge, and the one warning
"And the one who openly commits open sinfulness, and the one who seeks assistance in removing what is wrong"
The Shaykh: This is the answer to the last question, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh: And you too

The questioner : How are you?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah with good. How are you?

The questioner : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

The Shaykh : May you be well.

The questioner : If Allah wills, with good, and praise be to Allah.

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.

The questioner : In the field, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : Please go ahead.

The questioner : May Allah increase your virtue.