Ruling on playing cards without gambling

Question

Praise be to Allah.

The Standing Committee was asked about playing cards
if that does not distract people from prayer and there is no money involved.
They answered:

Playing cards is not permitted, even if there is no money
involved, because the problem with that is that it distracts people
from remembering Allaah (dhikr) and from prayer. Even if they claim
that this is not the case, then it is still a means that may lead to
gambling which is expressly forbidden in the Qur’aan. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):

“Intoxicants
(all kinds of alcoholic drinks), and gambling, and Al-Ansaab (stone
altars for sacrifices to false gods) and Al-Azlaam (arrows for
seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s (Satan’s)
handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that
you may be successful”

[al-Maa’idah 5:90]

These cards have an effect on society, for the bonds
of a strong society are achieved by means of two things: following the
commands of Allaah and heeding His prohibitions. A society disintegrates
when it neglects any of those duties or does any of those things that
are forbidden. These cards form one of the factors which have an effect
on society. They cause people to neglect prayer in congregation, and
they generate alienation, breaking of ties, hatred and negligence through
the committing of haraam actions, and they make people too lazy to earn
a living.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/436

With
regard to the history of these playing cards: No one really knows who
invented playing cards or when or where they were invented. It has been
said that they are of Chinese or Indian origin, or otherwise. But historians
are agreed that they came to Europe from the Middle East in the latter
part of the Middle Ages. Experts also say that there is agreement that
playing cards have clearly evolved from that time until now.

Playing cards made their first appearance in Europe in
Andalusia, and were brought to northern Spain in the eleventh century
CE.

The traditional deck of cards in Spain consisted of 40
cards, including the numbers 1 to 7, plus three characters, the highest
of which was the “ruler”, followed by the “deputy”, then the “scribe”
or “knight.”

In the sixteenth century, the French changed the cards,
replacing the “ruler” with the king, the “deputy” with the queen, and
the “knight” with the jack. They also added three new numbers, so that
the deck now consisted of 52 cards. In the seventeenth century, the
Germans added a fourth character, the joker.

We have quoted above the fatwa on playing with these
cards. It may also be added that playing cards is devoid of any of the
goals of recreational activities as required in Islam; it does not teach
any skill that is needed for jihad or any useful knowledge or bring
any social benefit or relaxation that will calm the nerves. Rather it
is a game that has nothing good in it; it causes arguments and simply
kills time. It is based on speculation and chance, and it is like playing
with dice, in that it leads to disputes and fighting, and it is like
alcohol and gambling.

Based on the above, it would not be farfetched to suggest
that it is haraam rather than makrooh, by analogy with dice, because
both are based on chance and both lead to arguments.

The same view was favoured by Shaykh Ibn Hajar al-Haythami,
and it is the view of our contemporary scholars, and of Shaykh Muhammad
ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen among the fuqaha’ of al-Najd, who transmitted
it from his shaykhs. This is based on the fact that it leads to enmity
and hatred, and because it is a great waste of time and it distracts
people from remembering Allaah (dhikr) and keeps them from worshipping
and obeying Him.

This view is further supported by the fact that one of
the French kings issued orders banning people from playing cards during
the day, and stating that everyone who went against this order was to
be arrested and punished. That was because the French people loved playing
cards too much, to such an extent that they were neglecting their work
in order to play cards. The punishment dictated by this French king
was not just a brief imprisonment, he also added a severe beating as
a deterrent to others.

Yet
despite these decrees and others, he did not succeed in uprooting the
habit of playing cards; the only result was that the people started
to play in secret rather than openly.

From Qadaaya al-Lahw wa’l-Tarfeeh by Maadoon Rasheed, p. 185-187.