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AL-QIMAAR
(GAMBLING) -
PART 2
People have been gambling in many parts of
the world since centuries ago. It had existed in Arabia during the time
of jahiliyyah – age of ignorance.
Once the Holy Prophet (saw),
before proclaiming prophethood, was passing through the bazaar
–market in Makkah where he saw how people gambled. He saw how Aas bin
Hasham bet with Abu Lahab all his belongings one after another and
losing them all. In the end, he was left with only his slaves and
slave-girls whom he also placed in the stake hoping to win, but he also
lost them all. Finally, still hoping to win and recover his losses, he
placed himself on bet in slavery for ten years with his counter-part.
Seeing all this, the Holy
Prophet (saw) was very much grieved and retired to a mountain to pray
for help of Allah (SWT) to eradicate this evil of gambling and other
vices of the people.
The late Ahmed H Sheriff in his article
entitled ‘Qimaar’ writes:
Bishop G Bromley had served as a Christian Minister in the Eastern side
of Los Angeles, U.S.A. He had the opportunity to observe the consequence
of betting and other forms of gambling.
Relating an experience, he
writes that a man, who was a Cashier of the city, had embezzled more
than $50,000 over a period of years. One day he collapsed from his
office high stool. When he was carried to a rest room for first aid, it
was found that he had misappropriated several thousands of cash.
Why did he do that? The
reason detected was that he was in the hobby of gambling and betting on
horses. He had won the first time and thus encouraged to continue
gambling. But later on, he lost heavily, and so he began to steal.
He ended up being
hand-cuffed by the police and led to cells. When the Minister visited
him in the cells, he looked upset, a broken man ruined by his own
weakness, having turned into a corrupt person, following his gambling
habit.
This is but only one incident out of
numerous cases of ruining outcome of those who gamble.
Research shows that people gamble because
of the following reasons:
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Money Mindedness, love for money and the
desire to raise an easy, extra income for nothing.
-
Lack of sensible aim of life and fear of
Allah (SWT)
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Absence of useful hobbies to pass spare
times particularly in the evenings.
The Islamic Shari’ah has forbidden all
kinds of games of chance whether with high stakes or even with small
sums of money. It has also forbidden to play those games commonly used
for gambling even without stake and condition of money gain or
loss e.g. games of cards. Every aspect of it is Haraam (unlawful)
whether to learn, use or to trade in it.
Ayatullah Seyyid Ali al-Husseini
as-Seestani in his ‘Taudheehul-Masail’, states clearly under “Haraam
Transactions”: Sale and purchase of those
things which are usually utilised for haraam acts like gambling tools.
Refer Mas’alah no.2063 on page 373 of Islamic Laws. Furtheron, in
Mas’alah no.2078 on page 376, the ruling reads:It
is haraam to purchase a thing which has been acquired by means of
gambling, theft or a void transaction, and if a person buys such a thing
from a seller, he should return it to its original owner.
In Tafseer-e-Qummi, it is narrated from
Imam Muhammed al-Baqir (as) who has said:
“All kinds of games of betting are
gambling and the sale, the purchase and the use of all the tools of
gambling are Haraam. It is only an act that shaitaan istigates you to
do.”
To be continued………………………….
References have been taken from:
Gunahan-e-Kabeera of Marhum Ayatullah
Abdulhussein Dasti Ghayb
Qimaar – Article by Marhum Ahmed H Sheriff
Islamic Laws of Ayatullah as-Seestani
Readers are humbly requested to remember
the Marhumeen with Surah al-Fatihah and pray for the long & healthy life
of our Marja’-e-Taqleed
Mulla Mujaheedali
Sheriff
mulla@almahdi.org.uk |