Gambling in Islam: maysir, Quranic verses and scholarly views

The Arabic word maysir comes from a root associated with ease, and classical commentators explained it as wealth gained easily, without work or exchange. In the Quran it names a specific game known in pre-Islamic Arabia and, by extension, gambling in general.

The pre-Islamic arrow game

Early Muslim historians and Quran commentators describe maysir as a game played with arrows. A camel was bought and slaughtered, its meat divided into shares, and participants drew marked arrows from a container to decide who received portions and who had to pay for the animal. Some accounts say the winners' meat was often given away to the poor, which commentators link to the Quran's acknowledgement that gambling contains "some benefit". The details vary between sources, and the descriptions come from later writers rather than contemporary records.

Qimar

Islamic jurists more often use the word qimar for wagering, and many treat it as effectively the same as maysir. Qimar carries the idea of a contest in which one party's gain is exactly the other's loss.

Divining arrows

A related practice, seeking decisions or fortunes by drawing arrows called azlam, is forbidden separately in Quran 5:3. It is usually discussed alongside maysir because it relies on chance to decide matters of property or fate.

This overview is part of the Casino knowledge topic. It describes mainstream scholarly positions neutrally; individual Muslims seek guidance from scholars they trust, and views on edge cases differ.

Two passages are central, and scholars usually read them together as a gradual prohibition, the same sequence many see in the treatment of wine.

Quran 2:219

Believers ask the Prophet about wine and gambling. The answer, in common English translations, is that in both there is great sin and some benefit for people, but their sin is greater than their benefit. Commentators note that this verse weighs harms against benefits without yet giving a direct command.

Quran 5:90–91

These verses, from a later period, are explicit. They describe intoxicants, gambling, sacrificing on stone altars and divining arrows as defilement from the work of Satan, and tell believers to avoid them so that they may succeed. The next verse says Satan seeks to stir up enmity and hatred between people through intoxicants and gambling, and to turn them away from the remembrance of God and from prayer, ending with the question of whether believers will then desist.

Scholars draw two reasons for the prohibition from these verses: the social harm of hostility between winners and losers, and the spiritual harm of distraction from worship.

Hadith

The collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim record a hadith in which the Prophet says that a person who invites a companion to gamble should give something in charity. Scholars cite it to show that even the invitation is treated as a wrong requiring expiation.

The prohibition has classical consensus: the four Sunni schools of law and Shia jurisprudence all treat gambling as haram, forbidden. Debate among scholars concerns definitions and edge cases, not the core rule.

Because the Quran names maysir without a technical definition, jurists developed tests to decide whether an activity falls under it. Most formulations share three elements.

1. Each participant stakes property. Money or something of value is put at risk by every party.
2. The outcome depends on chance or an uncertain event.
3. The winner takes what the losers staked. One side's gain comes directly from the other side's loss, with no goods or services exchanged.

When all three are present, the activity is qimar. Remove one and the analysis changes.

Third-party prizes

A hadith recorded in collections including those of Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi allows prize competitions in archery and in camel and horse racing, activities linked to military readiness. Scholars derived a broader principle: a prize is generally permissible when it is paid by a third party, such as a ruler, sponsor or organiser, and the competitors do not stake anything themselves. If every competitor pays into a pot that goes to the winner, the contest becomes gambling.

Some classical schools also discuss a third participant, called a muhallil, who competes without contributing to the stakes. Their presence was held by some jurists to prevent a two-person race with mutual stakes from being a wager. The details differ between schools.

Games without money

Playing games of chance or skill without stakes is a separate question. A hadith in Sahih Muslim condemns playing nardashir, an early backgammon-like game, and many scholars disapprove of backgammon even without money. Chess without stakes is more widely tolerated, though opinions vary. Views on modern video games and card games differ between scholars and schools.

Many modern financial and commercial activities involve chance, so scholars have had to apply the classical tests to new cases. Positions below are general; fatwas differ.

Gharar

Gharar means excessive uncertainty or ambiguity in a contract, such as selling fish still in the sea. It is related to maysir but not identical: gharar concerns unclear contracts, while maysir concerns wagering. Islamic finance developed products designed to avoid both, including takaful, a cooperative insurance model in which participants contribute to a shared fund.

Trading and investment

Scholars broadly distinguish investment, where money buys a share in real economic activity, from speculation that resembles a bet on price movements. Where that line falls for leveraged trading, options and cryptocurrencies is actively debated, and different scholarly bodies have issued different rulings.

Religious rulings and national laws are related but not identical. Laws vary widely and change over time, so the examples below are general.

Broad bans

Many countries prohibit most or all gambling, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iran, Pakistan, Brunei and Indonesia. Penalties range from fines to imprisonment and, in some jurisdictions, corporal punishment.

Restricted casinos

Other countries allow some gambling with restrictions. Malaysia licenses a casino at Genting Highlands, but Malaysian Muslims are legally barred from gambling there. Egypt has permitted casinos in hotels while generally restricting entry to foreign passport holders. Lebanon has a long-established state-linked casino, and Morocco and Tunisia have casinos aimed mainly at tourists. Turkey closed its casinos in the late 1990s.

Recent changes

The United Arab Emirates announced a federal regulator for commercial gaming in 2023, and a large integrated resort with gaming has been announced in Ras Al Khaimah. The move drew wide comment in the region, and how it develops remains to be seen.

Online gambling

In countries with bans, online gambling is usually illegal too, and authorities may block sites. The crypto gambling legality guide explains why using cryptocurrency does not change local law. Whatever the religious question, every player is responsible for knowing the law where they live.

Islamic teaching treats sins as matters for repentance, known as tawba, which involves stopping the act, regretting it and resolving not to return. Scholars emphasise that the door to repentance remains open.

For Muslims who find gambling hard to stop, that teaching sits alongside practical help. Gambling problems are common across all faiths, and shame can make people hide them, which usually makes the damage worse. Options include talking to a trusted imam or community counsellor, using Muslim counselling services where they exist, and using general gambling support services, which are confidential and serve people of every background.

Practical steps help regardless of belief:

• Block gambling sites and apps on phones and computers.
• Hand control of spare money to a trusted family member for a period.
• Remove saved payment methods and wallet connections.
• Replace the time gambling filled with other activities and company.

The how to stop gambling guide goes through these steps in detail, and the gambling addiction guide explains warning signs and treatment. For the Christian side of the same question, see is gambling a sin.

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The site is for adults 18+ only. Anyone who chooses to stop can find limits, cooling-off options and support links on the responsible gambling page.

In the same cluster, see also biggest casino wins and casino royale poker.