✅ Answer: In several parts, we will become aware of the view of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, regarding chess:

1 عَنْ دُرُسْتَ عَنْ زَيْدٍ الشَّحَّامِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَاجْتَنِبُوا الرِّجْسَ مِنَ الْأَوْثانِ وَ اجْتَنِبُوا قَوْلَ الزُّورِ (الحجّ ۲۲- ۳۰)

قَالَ الرِّجْسُ مِنَ الْأَوْثَانِ الشِّطْرَنْجُ وَ قَوْلُ الزُّورِ الْغِنَاءُ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 435

Zayd al-Shahham said: I asked Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, about the saying of Allah, the Exalted, that

«So shun the abomination of idols

and shun false and vain speech»

He said: The abomination of idols is chess, and vain speech is singing!

2 عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ الْبَخْتَرِيِّ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: الشِّطْرَنْجُ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 435

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: Chess is from vain (things)!

3 عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ يَزِيدَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ- عُتَقَاءَ مِنَ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَنْ أَفْطَرَ عَلَى مُسْكِرٍ أَوْ مشاحن [مُشَاحِناً] أَوْ صَاحِبَ شَاهَيْنِ قُلْتُ وَ أَيُّ شَيْ ءٍ صَاحِبُ الشَّاهَيْنِ قَالَ الشِّطْرَنْجُ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 435

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said:

In every night of the month of Ramadan, Allah, the Exalted, has people freed from the fire, except for one who breaks his fast with an intoxicating thing, or a resentful and hostile person, or the owner and possessor of two kings! I said: What is the owner of two kings? He said: (The owner of) chess!

✅ In this month of Ramadan, in order to remove the obstacles to forgiveness, whoever, God forbid, owns a chess set, should immediately destroy it.

4 عَنِ ابْنِ بُكَيْرٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنِ الشِّطْرَنْجِ وَ عَنْ لُعْبَةِ شَبِيبٍ الَّتِي يُقَالُ لَهَا لُعْبَةُ الْأَمِيرِ وَ عَنْ لُعْبَةِ الثَّلَاثِ فَقَالَ أَ رَأَيْتَكَ إِذَا مَيَّزَ اللَّهُ الْحَقَّ وَ الْبَاطِلَ مَعَ أَيِّهِمَا تَكُونُ قَالَ مَعَ الْبَاطِلِ قَالَ فَلَا خَيْرَ فِيهِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 436

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, was asked about chess and the game of Shabib which is called the game of the prince and the game of thalath, the Imam said: Inform me, when God separates the truth from falsehood, with which of them will these be? He said: With falsehood.

He said: So there is no good in it!

5 عَنْ مَسْعَدَةَ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ علیه السلام أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنِ الشِّطْرَنْجِ فَقَالَ دَعُوا الْمَجُوسِيَّةَ لِأَهْلِهَا لَعَنَهَا اللَّهُ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 437

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, was asked about chess, the Imam said: Leave Magianism for its people, may God curse it!

6 عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ عَنِ الرِّضَا قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ- مَا تَقُولُ فِي الشِّطْرَنْجِ الَّتِي يُلْعَبُ بِهَا فَقَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ- عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ- عَنْ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ مَنْ كَانَ نَاطِقاً فَكَانَ مَنْطِقُهُ بِغَيْرِ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ كَانَ لَاغِياً وَ مَنْ كَانَ صَامِتاً فَكَانَ صَمْتُهُ لِغَيْرِ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ كَانَ سَاهِياً ثُمَّ سَكَتَ فَقَامَ الرَّجُلُ وَ انْصَرَفَ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 437

Imam Reza, peace be upon him, said: A man came to Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, and said: O Aba Ja'far, what do you say about chess with which people play?

He said: My father Ali ibn al-Husayn informed me from Husayn ibn Ali from Amir al-Mu'minin, peace be upon him, that he said:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said:

Whoever speaks and his speech is other than the remembrance of God, his speech is useless and vain, and whoever is silent and his silence is other than the remembrance of God, he is heedless. Then the Imam was silent and the man got up and left!

7 عَنِ السَّكُونِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ عَنِ اللَّعِبِ بِالشِّطْرَنْجِ وَ النَّرْدِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 437

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said:

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, forbade playing with chess and backgammon.

8 عَنْ أَبِي الرَّبِيعِ الشَّامِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: سُئِلَ عَنِ الشِّطْرَنْجِ وَ النَّرْدِ فَقَالَ لَا تَقْرَبُوهُمَا قُلْتُ فَالْغِنَاءُ قَالَ لَا خَيْرَ فِيهِ لَا تَقْرَبْهُ الْحَدِيثَ.

📚 Ma'ani al-Akhbar, p. 224, hadith 1

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, was asked about chess and backgammon. The Imam said: Do not go near them. I said: What about singing? He said: There is no good in it, do not go near it...

9 عَنْ عَبْدِ الْوَاحِدِ بْنِ الْمُخْتَارِ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنِ اللَّعِبِ بِالشِّطْرَنْجِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ الْمُؤْمِنَ لَمَشْغُولٌ عَنِ اللَّعِبِ

📚 Al-Khisal, p. 26, hadith 92

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, was asked about playing with chess. The Imam said: Indeed, a believer is busy from playing.

10 عَنْ أَبِي الْجَارُودِ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى إِنَّمَا الْخَمْرُ وَ الْمَيْسِرُ وَ الْأَنْصابُ وَ الْأَزْلامُ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطانِ فَاجْتَنِبُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (المائدة ۹۰) قَالَ أَمَّا الْخَمْرُ فَكُلُّ مُسْكِرٍ مِنَ الشَّرَابِ إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ وَ أَمَّا الْمَيْسِرُ فَالنَّرْدُ وَ الشِّطْرَنْجُ وَ كُلُّ قِمَارٍ مَيْسِرٌ... إلی أن قال... كُلُّ هَذَا بَيْعُهُ وَ شِرَاؤُهُ وَ الِانْتِفَاعُ بِشَيْ ءٍ مِنْ هَذَا حَرَامٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ مُحَرَّمٌ وَ هُوَ رِجْسٌ مِنْ عَمَلِ الشَّيْطَانِ وَ قَرَنَ اللَّهُ الْخَمْرَ وَ الْمَيْسِرَ مَعَ الْأَوْثَانِ.

📚 Tafsir al-Qummi, Vol. 1, p. 180

Imam Baqir, peace be upon him, regarding the saying of Allah, the Exalted:

«Indeed, intoxicants, gambling, idols, and divining arrows, are an abomination from the work of Satan, so avoid them that you may be successful» (Verse 90 of Surah Al-Ma'idah)

He said: As for intoxicants, it is every intoxicating drink!

And as for gambling, it is backgammon and chess, and every gambling is gambling!...

The selling of all these and the buying of them and the profiting from any of these,

is forbidden and prohibited by Allah, and it is an abomination from the work of Satan

and God has placed intoxicants and gambling alongside idols!

The Quranic verse about chess

1 1 عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جُنْدَبٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: الشِّطْرَنْجُ مَيْسِرٌ وَ النَّرْدُ مَيْسِرٌ.

📚 Tafsir al-Ayyashi, Vol. 1, p. 341

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said:

Chess is gambling

and backgammon is also gambling!

2 1 عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى قَالَ: دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْبَصْرِيِّينَ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْأَوَّلِ فَقَالَ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي أَقْعُدُ مَعَ قَوْمٍ يَلْعَبُونَ بِالشِّطْرَنْجِ وَ لَسْتُ أَلْعَبُ بِهَا وَ لَكِنْ أَنْظُرُ فَقَالَ مَا لَكَ وَ لِمَجْلِسٍ لَا يَنْظُرُ اللَّهُ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 43

A person said to (Abu al-Hasan the First) Imam Kazim, peace be upon him: May I be sacrificed for you, I sit with a group of people who play chess and I do not play, but I watch!

He said: What do you have to do with a gathering that God does not look upon its people?

3 1 عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ الْجَعْفَرِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا قَالَ: الْمُطَّلِعُ فِي الشِّطْرَنْجِ كَالْمُطَّلِعِ فِي النَّارِ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 437

Abu al-Hasan Imam Reza, peace be upon him, said: Whoever looks at chess is like one who looks at fire!

4 1 عَنِ ابْنِ رِئَابٍ قَالَ: دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ مَا تَقُولُ فِي الشِّطْرَنْجِ فَقَالَ الْمُقَلِّبُ لَهَا كَالْمُقَلِّبِ لَحْمَ الْخِنْزِيرِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ مَا عَلَى مَنْ قَلَّبَ لَحْمَ الْخِنْزِيرِ قَالَ يَغْسِلُ يَدَهُ.

📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 6, p. 437

Ibn Ri'ab said: I entered upon Abu Abdullah Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, and said: May I be sacrificed for you, what do you say about chess? He said: Whoever turns his hand in it is like one who turns his hand in the meat of a pig! I said: What is the responsibility of one who turns his hand in the meat of a pig? He said: He should wash his hand.

5 1 عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: بَيْعُ الشِّطْرَنْجِ حَرَامٌ وَ أَكْلُ ثَمَنِهِ سُحْتٌ وَ اتِّخَاذُهَا كُفْرٌ وَ اللَّعِبُ بِهَا شِرْكٌ وَ السَّلَامُ عَلَى اللَّاهِي بِهَا مَعْصِيَةٌ وَ كَبِيرَةٌ مُوبِقَةٌ وَ الْخَائِضُ فِيهَا يَدَهُ كَالْخَائِضِ يَدَهُ فِي لَحْمِ الْخِنْزِيرِ لَا صَلَاةَ لَهُ حَتَّى يَغْسِلَ يَدَهُ كَمَا يَغْسِلُهَا مِنْ مَسِّ لَحْمِ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَ النَّاظِرُ إِلَيْهَا كَالنَّاظِرِ فِي فَرْجِ أُمِّهِ وَ اللَّاهِي بِهَا وَ النَّاظِرُ إِلَيْهَا فِي حَالِ مَا يُلْهَى بِهَا وَ السَّلَامُ عَلَى اللَّاهِي بِهَا فِي حَالَتِهِ تِلْكَ فِي الْإِثْمِ سَوَاءٌ وَ مَنْ جَلَسَ عَلَى اللَّعِبِ بِهَا فَقَدْ تَبَوَّأَ مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ وَ كَانَ عَيْشُهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً عَلَيْهِ فِي الْقِيَامَةِ- وَ إِيَّاكَ وَ مُجَالَسَةَ اللَّاهِي وَ الْمَغْرُورِ بِلَعِبِهَا فَإِنَّهَا مِنَ الْمَجَالِسِ الَّتِي بَاءَ أَهْلُهَا بِسَخَطٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ يَتَوَقَّعُونَهُ فِي كُلِّ سَاعَةٍ فَيَعُمُّكَ مَعَهُمْ.

📚 Mustatrafat al-Sara'ir, p. 59

Abu Basir said: Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, said: The selling of chess is forbidden and eating its money is suht (a grave sin), and taking up chess is disbelief and playing with it is polytheism, and greeting one who plays with it is a sin and a destructive great sin, and whoever puts his hand in it is like one who puts his hand in the meat of a pig! (Such a person) has no prayer until he washes his hand just as he would wash his hand from touching the meat of a pig! And the one who looks at chess is like one who looks at the private parts of his mother!

And the one who plays with it and the one who looks at it while it is being played with and the one who greets the player with it in that state, are partners in sin.

And whoever sits to play with it has indeed placed his seat in the fire and that pleasure will be a regret for him on the Day of Resurrection, so beware of sitting with one who plays with it and one who is deceived by playing with it! For it is one of the gatherings whose people return to the wrath of God!

(The wrath of God) is expected for them at every moment and it will seize you with them!

❌ Due to the severe condemnation of broadcasting and revealing the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, to the unworthy, we should not send these narrations to the unworthy so that we do not fall under the condemnation and curse of the Ahl al-Bayt.

6 1 عَنْ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ وَاقِدٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عَنْ آبَائِهِ فِي حَدِيثِ الْمَنَاهِي قَالَ: نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ عَنِ اللَّعِبِ بِالنَّرْدِ وَ الشِّطْرَنْجِ وَ الْكُوبَةِ وَ الْعَرْطَبَةِ وَ هِيَ الطُّنْبُورُ وَ الْعُودُ وَ نَهَى عَنْ بَيْعِ النَّرْدِ.

📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 4, p. 6

Imam Sadiq, peace be upon him, narrated from his fathers

that: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forbade playing with backgammon, chess, kuba (drum), and 'artaba, which is the lute, and the oud (which is a type of musical instrument called the barbat), and he forbade the selling of backgammon.

7 1 عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الرِّضَا علیه السلام یَقُولُ لَمَّا حُمِلَ رَأْسُ الْحُسَیْنِ علیه السلام إِلَی الشَّامِ أَمَرَ یَزِیدُ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ فَوُضِعَ وَ نُصِبَ عَلَیْهِ مَائِدَةٌ فَأَقْبَلَ هُوَ وَ أَصْحَابُهُ یَأْکُلُونَ وَ یَشْرَبُونَ الْفُقَّاعَ فَلَمَّا فَرَغُوا أَمَرَ بِالرَّأْسِ فَوُضِعَ فِی طَسْتٍ تَحْتَ سَرِیرَةٍ وَ بُسِطَ عَلَیْهِ رُقْعَةُ الشِّطْرَنْجِ وَ جَلَسَ یَزِیدُ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ یَلْعَبُ بِالشِّطْرَنْجِ وَ یَذْکُرُ الْحُسَیْنَ بْنَ عَلِیٍّ وَ أَبَاهُ وَ جَدَّهُ علیه السلام وَ یَسْتَهْزِئُ بِذِکْرِهِمْ فَمَتَی قَامَرَ صَاحِبَهُ تَنَاوَلَ الْفُقَّاعَ فَشَرِبَهُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ صَبَّ فَضْلَتَهُ عَلَی مَا یَلِی الطَّسْتَ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ فَمَنْ کَانَ مِنْ شِیعَتِنَا فَلْیَتَوَرَّعْ عَنْ شُرْبِ الْفُقَّاعِ وَ اللَّعِبِ بِالشِّطْرَنْجِ وَ مَنْ نَظَرَ إِلَی الْفُقَّاعِ أَوْ إِلَی الشِّطْرَنْجِ فَلْیَذْکُرِ الْحُسَیْنَ علیه السلام وَ لْیَلْعَنْ یَزِیدَ وَ آلَ زِیَادٍ یَمْحُو اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ بِذَلِکَ ذُنُوبَهُ وَ لَوْ کَانَتْ بِعَدَدِ النُّجُومِ

📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 4, p. 419

📚 Uyun Akhbar al-Reza, peace be upon him, Vol. 2, p. 22

Fadl ibn Shadhan said: I heard Imam Reza, peace be upon him, saying that when the head of Husayn ibn Ali, peace be upon them, was taken to Damascus, Yazid, may God curse him, ordered it to be placed and a table to be placed on it! So he and his companions ate and drank fuqqa' (beer)!

Then when they finished, he ordered the head to be placed in a basin under a bed and he spread a chess board over it and sat to play, and he mentioned Husayn ibn Ali and his father and grandfather, peace be upon them, and at the time of their mention, he would mock and ridicule them, and whenever he won against his companion in the game of chess, he would take the fuqqa' and drink it three times and pour the excess and the leftovers towards the place where the basin was!

So whoever is from our Shiites must abstain and stay away from drinking beer and playing with chess, and whoever's gaze falls upon fuqqa' (beer) or chess, he must remember Husayn, peace be upon him, and he must curse Yazid and the family of Yazid, for with this, Allah, the Exalted, will erase his sins even if they are as numerous as the stars!

✅ Woe to anyone who considers himself a Shiite and a lover of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and after reading this narration still has the slightest inclination towards chess.

✅ In the previous parts, we mentioned 17 narrations about the condemnation of chess for those who submit to the commands of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, and as you observed, the condemnation of chess is not only from the perspective of being gambling, but it has been presented generally as a falsehood and one of the instances of vain and blameworthy play and... and those who have the illusion that in case chess is no longer an instrument of gambling, its condemnations are removed and its player becomes worthy of praise and worthy of being called an artist, have fallen into a great mistake.

Although it is worthy of mention that chess has not only not ceased to be an instrument of gambling, but gambling and winning and losing with it have become official, legal, and widespread!

✅ Being gambling and being vain and a blameworthy game and being falsehood and the like are on one side, and the point that Imam Reza, peace be upon him, referred to in hadith 7 1 and based on the gathering of wine and chess that Yazid, may God curse him, held next to the luminous head of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, and has prevented the Shiites from being stained by it, is on the other side, and it has caused the followers of the family of the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, to have no positive view and no inclination towards this impure thing and to be extremely hateful and repulsed by it.

✅ Yes, to those who say: The prohibition of chess has few and weak hadiths, we remind them that by the praise of Allah, we have numerous and strong and authentic hadiths, confirmed by the Quran, for the prohibition and impurity of chess, although for the lovers of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, that very hadith 7 1 is sufficient!

The prohibition and severe condemnation of chess and beer

Delester, beer, fuqqa', beer

The game and drink of Yazid (may God curse him)