Question: What is the ruling on this game which has appeared in the markets and is played by the young children and youth. It is a table which has in it idols which are soccer players. A small ball is placed in it and it is moved using the hands. Whoever loses the game pays the cost of the game to the owner and the winner does not pay anything. Is it allowed to play this game and the likes according to the Islamic Legislation?
Answer: “If the situation of this game is as you mentioned, with the presence of idols that are in this table which is played on, and the loser pays the cost of the game to the owner, then in prohibited due to the following affairs:
First: that busying with this game and amusement will kill the free time of the player and waste a lot of benefit in his religion and worldly life.
Second: making idols, pictures, and owning them is from the major sins due to the authentic Ahaadith in which Allah and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) threatened the one who does so with the hell fire and severe punishment
Third: The loser paying the cost of playing this game is prohibited because it is a waste of extravagance, waste of wealth by spending it on games and amusement. Renting this game is a invalid contract. It’s owner earned it illegally and is consuming the wealth of the people in falsehood. So that is from the major sins and from the prohibited gambling
With Allah is Tawfeeq
And May Blessings and Peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.
Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and verdicts”
[Fatwa no. 2209 found here: https://goo.gl/UvpdN2]
Translated by
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan