Ruling on playing cards

Praise be to Allah.

The reasons are:

1. Wasting of time in something which has no benefit in this life nor in the hereafter.

2. This game of cards is based on the idea of gambling, and it resembles playing with dice, which is clearly prohibited in Islaam, as related in the authentic hadeeth of the Prophet :

"Whoever plays with dice, would (resemble) one who has tainted his hand with the flesh and blood of a pig," narrated by Muslim (2260).

1. The playing cards include pictures of creations with a soul (the Jack and Queen ).

2. The rancor, enmity, bitterness, and/or ill-feeling which may occur between the players (shahnaa' wa-baghdaa').

3. The game promotes cheating, deception, and trickery (ghish wa-tahaayul).

4. It distracts from the worship of Allah, and from salaat. Even if one performs salaat on time, and with the congregation in the Masjid, how would he escape the hadeeth of the Prophet :

"Everything other than remembering Allah is (considered) wasteful play except four: a man humoring his wife, a man training his horse, a man walking between targets (learning archery), and man learning swimming," narrated by An-Nasaa'i and authenticated by Al-Albani (Sahih Al-Jami' 4534).