The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia has declared that playing chess is forbidden (haram) because it is a waste of time and money and leads to hatred between players.
The cleric Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh issued the fatwa in response to a caller to a TV show asking about the attitude of Islam to the game. He said that chess was the work of Satan and it was the same as gambling and alcohol.
“It makes the rich man poor, and makes the poor man rich. It causes hostility and wastes time where it should not be spent.” Sheikh Abdulaziz said.
The Arab world has a history of chess playing and it is a popular game in the Gulf region especially in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Chess Association defended the game, saying on Twitter that chess was nothing like gambling and that more than 70 chess events had been held in the kingdom.
Musa Bin Thaily, head of the association posted photos of the chess events and players.
The cleric’s decree came just days before a planned tournament of chess in Mecca on Friday which the association said will go ahead despite the fatwa.
The cleric’s fatwa is not law and it is not clear whether the Saudi government would enforce the decree to ban chess playing in the kingdom.
The cleric Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh issued the fatwa in response to a caller to a TV show asking about the attitude of Islam to the game. He said that chess was the work of Satan and it was the same as gambling and alcohol.
“It makes the rich man poor, and makes the poor man rich. It causes hostility and wastes time where it should not be spent.” Sheikh Abdulaziz said.
The Arab world has a history of chess playing and it is a popular game in the Gulf region especially in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Chess Association defended the game, saying on Twitter that chess was nothing like gambling and that more than 70 chess events had been held in the kingdom.
Musa Bin Thaily, head of the association posted photos of the chess events and players.
The cleric’s decree came just days before a planned tournament of chess in Mecca on Friday which the association said will go ahead despite the fatwa.
The cleric’s fatwa is not law and it is not clear whether the Saudi government would enforce the decree to ban chess playing in the kingdom.
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