AL- MAISIR  (Gambling)

AL- MAISIR  (Gambling)

   Maisir means a game of haphazard in all matters-particularly a game of chance by means of divinatory arrows.  Maisir is of various categories.  Some of these types of Maisir are seeking omen or fortune by divinatory arrows, back-gammous, chess, lottery etc.

The word Masir  (game of chance) is derived from the root:

(i)                 Yasara:  To become gentle to draw lots by arrows; or

(ii)               Yasar :  Affluence because Maisir  brings about profit ; or

(iii)             Yusr:  Convenience ; ease : Maisir is so termed because it is a means of earning without toil and exertion ; or

(iv)             Yasr:  Dividing a thing into a number of shares and distributing them among themselves.  Gambling is called Maisir because those who partake in the game of chance divide the meat of sacrificial animal among themselves.

All the above cannotations are vividly found in the word  Maisir.  Imam Malik (Allah be pleased with him) says that gambling is of two categories : a game of chance that is partaken in with a view of sport(fun) and the game of chance which involves gambling.  Gambling means all dealings in which people are required to mane a bet and every dealing which involves some aspect of gambling is Maisir.  

 “They ask thee (O’ Prophet) about Khamr(intoxicants) and games of chance (gambling).  Say:  In both of them there is great harm although there is some advantage as well in them for men, but their harm is much greater than their advantages.”                                                                 (2:219)

            “O’ ye who believe, verily wine and games of chance (ungodly) shrines, and divining devices are abomination of Satan’s work.  Avoid them, that ye may prosper.  Only would Satan sow hatred and strife among you, by wine, and games of chance, and turn you aside from the remembrance of Allah, and from Prayer: Will you not, therefore, abstain from them ?” (5:90,91)

            From these Verses of the Holy Qur’an, it is obvious that games of chance (Maisir) entail great sin and promises petty benefits and the Maisir is an abominable act of Satan.  It is, therefore, imperative to avoid gambling in order to achieving success and happiness.  Satan sows in our hearts the seeds of enmity and hatred against one another and turns us aside from the remembrance of Allah and His worship by means of games of chance.  Its prohibition has, therefore, been declared obligatory.  Similar is the case with wine.  Both wine and games of chance go hand in hand to create corruption and both have been declared unlawful simultaneously.  

            The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said :  “Whosoever says to his Companion : Come let us play a game of haphazard, should give alms(as an atonement).”   (Bukhari and Muslim)

            It connotes that a mere invitation to gambling is such a serious sin as to warrant atonement thereof by charity.  Then just imagine the position of a man who indulges in gambling.  The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) further said : “Whosoever plays backgammon is as if he dyes his hands with the flesh of swine and its blood.”   (Muslim)

            Ibn Abi Al-Dunya has reported Yahya b. Kathir as saying : “Allah’s Messenger(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by people playing back-gammon.  He said, “Their hearts ar preoccupied in sport, their hands are ill and (their) tongues make absurd utterances.  Every game which involves gambling or mischief, is a game of chance (Maisir).”

            There is no difference of opinion among the jurists that every sort of gambling is harmful, except betting for hors-race and archery which have been declared lawful for persuading for horsemanship archery and preparation for Jihad because Allah says: 

       “Make ready for them all you can of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby ye  may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy.” (8:60)  

            As far as stone-altars, they were stones erected round the Holy Ka’ba in the pre-Islamic period.  People used to slaughter their sacrificial animal beside these altars and seek nearness to them through worship.  Such  altars were 360 in number.

            On the advent of Islam, these altars were removed from there.  This dismantlement of altars took place on the eve of the victory of Mecca when the Holy Prophet(peace and  blessings of Allah be upon him) climbed on them with a staff in hand and demolished them one after the other and recited this Qur’anic Verse:

              “And say: Truth hath come and falsehood hath vanished away.  Lo, falsehood is ever bound to vanish.”  (17:81)

            Every stone, clod of clay, tree or sea that is worshipped falls under the category of altars.

            We, therefore, seek refuge in Allah against every worked malignant and against the hovering Satan.

            As far divining arrow (azlam), they are arrows cut off in thin slices of wood in the shape of arrows having no heads.  In the pre-Islamic period the Arabs were taken to draw lots with a view to seeking good or bad omen.

            As far abomination (rijs), everything loathsome, whether physically or abstractly, is rijs (abomination).  Accordingly, it is said rajulun rijsun i.e., an abominable man, and rajulun arjasun i.e., abominable men.

            Abomination is of various kinds: Abomination by nature, abomination in the eye of intellect abomination declared as an abomination by the Shari’ah like wine and game of chance or an overall abomination like a corpse because it si despicable by nature and in the eye of intellect and Shari’ah.

            As far gambling or a game of chance, the past scriptures of the Jews and the Christians i.e., the Torah and Bible have no mention of prohibition of gambling.  This position is indicative of the fact that their books are not perfect and intact.  It is unbelievable that the books revealed to the Prophets of Israelites would not have the provision of prohibition of gambling despite the fact that gambling entailed economic and spiritual corruption of their ummah.  

            The history of the unlawfulness of the games of chance, gambling, is as old as the history of unlawfulness of wine because the prohibition of both has been declare simultaneously in Sura al-Baqara (2:219) and Sura al-Ma’ida (5:90,91) as already mentioned.  But the game of chance was declare unlawful in two stages unlike wine which was declared unlawful in four or five stages.

The first stage was the revelation of Verse 2:219 in the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, 4, A.H. (August 625 A. D.).  Allah in this Verse has mentioned the game of chance (Masisir) as characteristic of great sin which ha paltry benefits for mankind.  This Verse is, therfore, a clear proof of the gradual prohibition of the game of chance.

            The second and the last stage is the revelation of Verses 5:90,91 in the month of Dhi-al Qa’da 6 A.H. (March, 627 A. D.).  In these Verses, Allah has totally declared gambling (Masisir) unlawful leaving no room for relaxation.