"Taliban Bans… Chess?!?" Topic

Saladin is rolling in his grave: link

Ironically gambling itself is not forbidden in Western Scripture. It's hinted against, but the idea that it's a sin is a medieval one. It all has to do with the casting of lots to make Big Decisions— that God alone controls the dice, and thus using dice to determine lesser things (especially profit) is to mis-use the authority of God, thus violating the prohibition "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (Personally, I see that as a stretch, but gambling is provably harmful and addictive, so… maybe?)

Of course, the above prohibition is about dice. It is not about human ability and endeavor. Chess does not involve probability— God is not being expected to determine the outcome by any significant means (the prayers of the players themselves not withstanding). So of all games, Chess is the antithesis of a game of probabilities. It is pure logic, with a bit of psychology thrown in the mix.

I admit, I am not a student of the Koran or any Muslim philosophy or beliefs. Maybe they do have explicit prohibitions against gambling. But betting on chess???

Maybe it's because it can be fun?

Maybe banning things is additive.

The admissibility of playing chess in the Islamic world has been debated for centuries. Some scholars have considered it forbidden ("haram") on the basis of it's idleness as a pastime. Most scholars have defended it and declared chess acceptable due to the Prophet's support of the study of military strategy and tactics, chess being a broadly military abstraction. This debate has see-sawed slightly depending upon time and place and goes back hundreds of years.

Maybe banning things is additive.

That's actually plausible…